Immigrant Union – The Winter EP (13/05/2011)
Immigrant Union are a super-group of sorts; formed in Melbourne, primarily comprising Brent DeBoer (drummer for The Dandy Warhols), Bob Harrow (lead singer of The Lazy Sons), and Gamma Lubulwa (keyboardist for The Galvatrons). DeBoer and Harrow had been writing songs together over the past few years; they recruited Lubulwa and in December 2009 they began recording together.
The Winter EP is five very country-influenced tracks, complete with harmonica, banjo, slide guitar, and more. The Winter EP sounds as though it could have just as easily been recorded in the early-1970s, but Immigrant Union have interpreted the country rock genre with such conviction and skill that it really doesn’t matter that they’re not doing anything brand new.
The stand-out of the EP is The Rope; a toe-tapping, Flying Burrito Brothers-esque tune. You can’t help but be drawn in by its train-chugging rhythm and nonchalant vocals. The Winter EP has an overall laidback feel to it, a parallel to DeBoer and Harrow’s introspective lyrics, which works very effectively.
I’m not very familiar with the previous work of DeBoer and Harrow but I was a big fan of The Galvatrons, and Immigrant Union is about as far away as you can get from their electro rock. From what I can tell, it’s also quite a departure from The Dandy Warhols and The Lazy Sons. Although country rock is a genre that I’ve only recently begun to appreciate, I really enjoyed The Winter EP. It is definitely worth a listen if you’re a fan of country, or even just as an introduction to a genre you’d like to become acquainted with.
Chelsea McIntyre