Scott Candlish - “New Day”

We will never say no to new music from Naarm-based singer-songwriter Scott Candlish. When we last featured him on the blog, he had just released “Blue,” but he’s back again with the glorious sounds of “New Day.”

Though “Blue” was a wonderfully sparse recording, Candlish has utilized his full band to bring us “New Day.” Of course, you wouldn’t know this from the first few bars, which have been properly hammered out here with an acoustic guitar. But fifteen seconds in, we get a delightful sonic surprise as his bandmates appear and the sound is quite robust and very pleasing to the ear.

“New Day” is more upbeat than when we last heard from Candlish, possibly because the addition of a full rhythm section pushes the song along at a faster clip, or possibly because of the hope and perseverance that the subject matter employs. In any case, we dare you to try and listen without bobbing your head and tapping a foot or two.

Candlish’s vocal is on point, soaring from his tenor to his falsetto quite remarkably. And the harmonies on the refrain and sprinkled throughout the verses are perfectly executed. Even though Candlish originally won our hearts with his indie folk temperament, it’s refreshing to hear him slightly expanding his sonic scope, as “New Day” will satisfy the fans of folk, but it’s final third would also fit nicely among an indie rock repertoire.

-TM