For years I’ve admired the voice and poise of Erica Dunn as one of rock band Harmony’s trio of gospel singers. Turns out Dunn has a trio too, called Palm Springs, with Raquel Solier and Sara Retallick (both of whom also have solo acts, because no Melbourne musician deigns to stoke a single fire).
Palm Springs write spare and moody country-folk that escalates on occasion into an electrified crescendo that you know would be a lot more bracing live. Live, the classic train-chug drums on Flowers In A Vase would fill the room and that whammy would really twang. This what I like most about these songs: they seem versatile and road-ready, expandable or contractible depending on who’s around to play and, even then, could be sung sweet or real blue, weathervanes to a prevailing mood. Mostly, though, Dunn’s voice is steady and unaffected so when it wavers – or breaks open as the thunderclouds gather on the Winning and Losing – you really feel it.
