I’ve been a fan of LANKS since the release of his gorgeous singles ‘Bitter Leaf’ and ‘Comfortable’. When the opportunity to review his debut LP twentyseven surfaced, I eagerly jumped onto my computer and typed away. twentyseven, LANKS debut album is an intimate affair. Each track features distinct acoustic electropop elements that explore the events in LANKS life, including his recent marriage and overcoming insecurities as an artist.

Opening single ‘Man’ features instrumental heavy production to support hazy vocals, reminiscent of the best of Tash Sultana. ‘Something in the Water’ and ‘twentyseven’ follow, both more mellow tunes that allow LANKS’ vocals to take centre stage. ‘Comfortable’ is one of album’s highlights, with beautiful lyrics driving the lush production. The closing lines “Are you comfortable? Let me comfort you” have been stuck in my head since the single’s release last year. ‘My Own Mystery’ features Ngaiire’s sublime vocals which complement LANKS perfectly. ‘Circles’ keeps the album fresh with its production heavy persona, mixing up the album’s overall sombre tone. ‘Yours’ features a starker, yet intriguingly dazzling production, drawing influences from nature at various points; it’s a pretty cool element that deserves recognition.

The second half of the album opens with ‘Phoenix Friends’. Guitars mix with synthesisers to create an experimental and progressive soundscape that’s exciting to listen to. ‘Bitter Leaf’ was the first LANKS song I heard and remains my favourite. The vocals blend with piano-centric instrumentals that have been mixed gorgeously. ‘Horoscopes’ is the most explosive track on the album and follows the poppier aspects of ‘Bitter Leaf’; it’s really cool to see how LANKS creates a well-rounded pop song. ‘Holla’ is also very pop heavy and features interesting voice effects that I hope LANKS chooses to explore further in future releases.

twentyseven closes with ‘Reticent’, ‘My Artistic Idol’ and ‘Icarus’, the most emotional tracks in LANKS’ debut. While ‘Reticent’ is production-heavy, ‘My Artistic Idol’ is stripped back and raw. ‘Icarus’ draws on both mediums, expressing the beauty of LANKS’ honesty, but also the intensity of his fun and alluring production. LANKS used ‘Icarus’ lyrics “will you marry me” to propose to his wife, a beautiful summary of the emotion to wrap up an outstanding album.

LANKS is at the top of his game! twentyseven exposes the Melbourne muso’s prowess, and capacity to translate raw emotion into memorable and relatable compositions. I’ll definitely be listening to twentyseven on repeat until LANKS’ next release!