Scott and Charlene’s Wedding
Any Port in a Storm
Craig Dermody is back with a second LP from his indie pop project Scott and Charlene’s Wedding. Any Port in a Storm is an autobiographical account of a rookie year in New York. Dropped straight from Melbourne into NYC, Dermody wears his heart on his sleeve, telling tales of adjusting to the jeopardies of the Big Apple, homesick for Oz.
His vocal warble sets the tone of this record perfectly in opener ‘Junk Shop’ sauntering into the slacker groove of this charmingly sluggish batch of tunes. Track by track you’re invited further into Dermody’s daily struggles, offering you to share his burden. ‘Fakin’ NYC’ sees him adjusting to a new expat life, finding a new job and feeling out of place, doing anything for coin.
Lyrically, this album feels personal and poignant, but thankfully humorous at times too. ‘Lesbian Wife’ is a humble story of loneliness. Caught up in the middle of freak storm, Dermody is reduced to cooking his tea on a camping stove, enduring the toils of Hurricane Sandy alone, pining for Australia.
Musically, Any Port in a Storm is a real ode to the lo-fi. A whiff of the 13th Floor Elevators lingers comfortably on tracks like ‘Downtown’ boasting a retro groove and guitars that jangle more than a wind chime in a hurricane. But while it’s safe to say that Dermody’s a garage man, it’s comforting to hear modern similarity too, the quick intricate riffing on ‘Charlie’s in the Gutter’ remind of fellow New Yorkers Beach Fossils.
Never hurried or rushed, Craig Dermody’s Any Port in a Storm is jammed full with 11 slack tracks, each laced with true garage swagger. This is a great summer album, so grab a copy and soak it up.
Any Port in a Storm is out now on Fire Records.
Dave Palmer