– THE CHARM OFFENSIVE –

Aussies don’t tend to be shrinking violets. And Lachlan Mitchell (as LANEOUS is better known to his Mum) is no exception. In fact, he is an exceptionally confident young man by all accounts.

Read any online bio of him and it’ll be quick to tell you things like how he’s been “humbly dominating the Australian underground art, soul and jazz scene” for eight years. What a *humble* chap.

So abundant is said confidence that it verdantly spills into every section of Hold My Hand, not least of all in the presumptuously demanding name of the song (I hate to get all parental about this but if he’d just add a little ‘please’ here and there, maybe he wouldn’t have to ask so often!)

Fortunately, it’s well-founded; with a precocious middle eight that could have been ripped out of anything Stax produced, crisp vocals tugged out of a top-drawer marked “the stuff Jordan Rakei discounted for being a bit showy-offy” and a guitar tone that robs Jaga Jazzist’s One Armed Bandit blind.

It’s a funk and soul opus that would really need to be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority if you [humbly] described it as anything less.

LANEOUS’ debut record MONSTERA DELICIOSA is due out May 10 via Soul Has No Tempo. And, if you’d like to read / hear more from Mr. Mitchell, check out our recent review of his other band Vulture St Tape Gang’s Pretty.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

SARATHY KORWAR FEAT. MC MAWALI: MUMBAY
LAZARUS & THE VERY BEST: NDIFE ALENDO
EZRA COLLECTIVE: SÃO PAULO
NOÉ ZAGROUN FEAT. MARO: MOVE ON

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –