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Feb 25, 2021 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc with many artists’ plans and schedules. But for Melbourne’s Flyying Colours, it’s probably hit them harder than most. Having announced lead single “Goodtimes” as far back as December 2019 then organized a European tour for the summer of 2020 in conjunction with the release of their eagerly anticipated second album, everything got shelved.

Indeed, it’s still uncertain whether those shows will take place this year or next. But with both band and label itching to unleash the new long player, Fantasy Country is finally with us. Having put out their debut Mindfullness back in 2016, Flyying Colours took as much time as they possibly could in perfecting its successor. While the billowing soundscapes and luscious harmonies of Gemma O’Connor and Brodie Brummer remain omnipresent throughout, Fantasy Country is a more laidback, and times radio friendly affair than its predecessor. Whether that be “Big Mess” and its summery grunge pop, shoegaze lullaby “OK,” or the delightfully woozy “Its Real,” which borrows the melody from Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” then coats it in shimmering effects and dreamlike overtones. Meanwhile, both “White Knuckles” and “Boarding Pass” venture into familiar sonic territories of yore.

Elsewhere, “Eyes Open” takes the cathedral of sound mantra into a widescreen arena while “This One” shimmers and oscillates in a similar way to Lush at their most precocious or Nightmare Air more recently. Short and sweet yet incisively executed, Fantasy Country is the natural progression on its predecessor one would have expected from Flyying Colours. Here’s hoping they finally get to perform these songs in the flesh sometime soon, because that’s where the magic really happens. (www.flyyingcolours.bandcamp.com/album/fantasy-country)

Author rating: 7.5/10