Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts – Kintsugi (2023)
Known for her passionate innovation, versatility and authenticity as a musician, singer-songwriter Georgia Weber has traversed genres from punk to jazz in her career; however, while she may hop and fuse styles, she will always remain “married to her bass”. With a natural affinity for the double bass, Weber graduated with a Bachelor in Jazz Double Bass Performance from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2004 but it was in 2010, after moving to Melbourne, the Australian artist put on her pop-punk clothes in A Date With Apathy. In 2013, she took her act on the road after performing with A Data With Apathy and the renowned contemporary jazz group, Ben Carr Trio. Now, we find her captivating hearts with her genre-diverse (although mostly jazz) group Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts.
This is my introduction to Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts, but the trio have been winning awards and receiving critical acclaim for quite some time. Following up their 2019 debut album Keeping It Real, Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts stepped out of any comfort zone with the genre-defying sophomore album No Standards. Today, Weber (vocals and double bass), Kenji Herbert (guitar) and Nathan Ellman-Bell (drums) bring an amalgamation of shimmering sounds expertly blended in ‘Kintsugi’.
The first track from the upcoming EP Big In Japan, ‘Kintsugi’ is Weber’s first love song in 20 years. A Japanese-inspired single, ‘Kintsugi’ uses a soothing, smooth, gentle cacophony of sounds to explore the intricate Japanese culture. With the production skills of Sonny Ratcliff and Matthew Agoglia (mastering), a commercial pop vibe flits through the tune; however, slivers of jazz, indie-pop and soft rock shimmer in the melody. Ellman-Bell’s drums add a steady beat to the tune while Herbert’s guitar slices across in both a soft and bold manner. For me, however, it is Weber’s mellifluous vocals with Camille Harris’ backing vocals that add a hint of security and complexity to ‘Kintsugi’.
One aspect I find intriguing is how the melody expertly matches the concept of ‘Kintsugi’. Kintsugi is a Japanese practice of “repairing broken pottery with gold or silver lacquer embracing flaws as part of an object’s history”. Weber’s single might not be flawed per se, but the symphonic culmination of several instruments acts as that gold lacquer bringing everything together in a harmonic whole. Confident, bold and powerful, but with a sensitive and sincere interior, ‘Kintsugi’ is a slip of the Orient in a US-based single.
For more from Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts, check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
