Dew Process – June 18 2010

Justin Vernon’s retreat into a woodland cabin has become indie legend – heartbroken (and epically bearded) dude enters wilderness, writes down his feelings, and bam, we have Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Ernest Ellis similarly buried himself deep within a Blue Mountains cabin to write his own debut, recording it with three bandmates, but don’t let the comparison deter you – Hunting is far more than just a reflection of its influences.

The chilling beauty of opener ‘Loveless’ cuts straight to the heart of the album’s emotion, with a tilting post-rock guitar beam underscoring Ellis’ Vernon-like echoing vocals as he murmurs “it’s the fear that keeps me here/it keeps me lost and still loveless”. Not the most cheerful way to start a record, but Ellis isn’t all doom and gloom – the brisk but catchy pop melody of ‘Heading For The Cold’ follows with a driving percussive beat, and the interestingly titled ‘When I Feel Like Jesus’ Son The World Will Feel Much Different’ adopts a totally different attitude, culminating in a loose musical freefall marrying dizzying instrumentals with soaring vocals.

The writing on this album draws from a great number of styles – ‘I Am The Beast’ and ‘Want For Anything’ continue on the breathy indie-folk trail, but tracks like ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘Valley Song’ are much more simplistic, with Ellis ditching his wispy enunciation for a strong, solid tone accompanied by guitar strums – and it’s this variety that allows the album to maintain consistent intrigue.

At 55 minutes, Hunting is long for an indie/folk debut, but by ensuring that the songs each have a distinctive personality, Ellis has established himself as a captivating and brilliant local voice.