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Interlacing darkly melodic vocals with elaborate instrumentation Trails mesmerise with intense, emotive and experimental indie rock. Spun out of a university collaboration between the long-time friends Tyler Shilling and Daniel Booth, Trails channel the brooding grandiosity of Radiohead and the hypnotic psychedelia of Tame Impala into their own electric tracks.
A powerhouse six-piece that has all of Brisbane talking, Trails are making an impressive name for themselves with their dark and grooving music.
Unperturbed by the daunting task of rivalling the studio efforts of these rock heavyweights the two take a DIY approach to their music. With Booth’s accomplished fretwork serving as an ideal foil for Shilling’s meticulously layered multi-instrumental arrangements, the pair have been busy laying down material for their upcoming EP at the Gold Coast’s BPM Studios.
While the Brisbane duo have been exchanging musical ideas and fine tuning their production talents since mid-2013, it was only in June 2015 that Trails made their live debut. Realising the lofty ideal of recreating their sprawling instrumentals and elaborate productions live, the group have expanded to a majestic 6 piece, comprising of additional members Dominic Pelecanos, Samuel Mead, Geoff Ham and Alex Cusack. Although Trails have only been gigging around the Brisbane music scene for a matter of months the band has been quick to build a dedicated following. The sextet have supported Adelaide rock mainstays The Super Jesus and shared stages with local contemporaries Tree & Ray, Aquilia Young and Erin Jane.
https://soundcloud.com/trails-australia/alligator
Alligator’s dark vocal crescendos, ominous bass groove, crashing drums patterns, ascendant synth washes and ambient guitar licks exemplify the band’s bombastic signature sound. Interlaced with swirling psychedelic solos Shilling’s raw yet melodic vocals pulse with energy, driving the track forward with a tortured intensity. Fevered lyrics and climbing chord progressions convey an infectiously foreboding sense of creeping isolation that makes the skin crawl.
Shimmering with energy This Is Personal, one of the group’s earliest helpings, remains one of their best. Ruminating with bleak melancholy the track beguiles with haunted vocals while ambient and reverberant dominate the mix. The fervent repetition of the earnest lyric “I have tried understand that this is personal” precedes a truly climatic build.
Backing their ambition with meticulous production, entrancing sonic textures and formidable live set Trails are quickly establishing themselves of one of Brisbane’s most promising new acts. Currently taking it slow and steady while placing the finishing touches on their new material, Trails will be launching their debut EP in March 2016.
