Poison Oak – Sarah (2021)
Bringing together diverse styles, band experiences and various influences, Poison Oak is a pop-rock group with punk undertones. Based in North Queensland, Australia, James Balthes, Russell West, Ray Pearson, Lachlan Gleadhill and Chris Reiterer share personal stories in their harmonic melodies. Featured in Happy Magazine, The Sounds Won’t Stop, FV Music Blog, and even a few reviews on our site, Poison Oak is reaching people on an international scale. Taken from their upcoming EP 1996, we bring you their single ‘Sarah’.
Adopting grunge meets indie-rock design, Poison Oak mixes elements of Radiohead with R.E.M. and Coldplay. Building a hazy ambience, ‘Sarah’ has a sense of hushed beauty lurking below a mist of wistfulness. While the track begins with a whimsical innocence, there is a lingering melancholy in the harmonic melody. This is particularly intriguing as it aligns itself the poignant lyricism.
Touching on past trauma, ‘Sarah’ is introspective exploring the vulnerability of the group. The rough vocals add grittiness to the flowing track enhancing feelings of pain, desperation and despair. Yet, while there is an underlying desolation, there is an instrumental crescendo changing the tone from dismal to daring. With a strong personal narrative, the rich vocals increase the rawness of the theme and melody.
Infectious, beguiling and soul-stirring, Poison Oak show their sincerity and sentimentality in this honest track. I quite like it and can’t wait for more!
For more from Poison Oak check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
