Bleep

HTRK have trended towards the shorter and more minimal side of their infinitely versatile electronic rock and pop palettes in recent years, and on her third solo outing, band member Jonnine Standish wades even further into those musical snapshots with a candid, DIY attitude. Maritz magnifies the micro moments of life, totally disarming in its eighteen minute runtime as it haunts playfully with the theme of “friendly house ghosts” and the often lo fi, homemade atmosphere Jonnine creates.

‘I Put a Little Thing in Your Pocket’ opens on a curious note, a minute long yet the infectious nature of its flanged guitar chords and Jonnine’s close voice last for an age, with little flashes of percussion breathing into the track’s softness. Reedy susurrations and icy crystal drums resonate throughout ‘Tea For Two (Boo)’, where conversational, cosy lyrics always seem to nestle their way into a cleverly placed rhyme: “Would you like lavender, or a homemade biscuit? You’ve got a broken heart, and maybe this could fix it.”

‘Portrait’ is painted with dancing spectres of vocal loops; alongside its deep, resounding bass are passing signals, and percussive found objects that colour the album’s kaleidoscopic variety. Verdantly flowing harmonium plays at a distance on ‘Can I Trust the Flowers’, mixing in with street sirens and a fanciful narration of nature. A “broken Swiss metronome” keeps measured pace on ‘Three Spider Bites’ with the lucre of silvery strums, the whistling winds of recorder, and a cawing creature in the background. The guitars on ‘Blissfully Unaware (of you)’ are written in deep blue, lost in the clouds, ebbing and flowing into music box echoes of the title track.

Jonnine is deeply attuned to the spellbinding potential of music, and the magic lying in Maritz will certainly have you transfixed and coming back for more.