Boorloo/Perth six-piece Calico City deliver their debut EP, Second in Line, a six-track journey through the messy, heavy and complicated realities of friendship. Originally formed in high school, Calico City have spent the past year developing their distinctive collision of alternative rock, reggae and psychedelic influences.
Across the EP, Calico City examine friendship from different angles, moving through betrayal, separation, frustration and uncertainty, as well as those moments when platonic relationships begin to blur into something more.
The first thing that caught my attention is how quickly the EP gets to the point. Gotta Go starts at full force, with the riff, drums and vocals hitting you from the very first second. It’s a strong opening that immediately pulls you in. Not many songs start straight with the chorus, let alone the opening track of an entire EP, so it’s a really interesting artistic decision. The song then eases off around the half-minute mark, giving way to a beautiful passage where “we gotta go” can be heard quietly in the background while the guitar settles into a more relaxed rhythm. Around the two-minute mark, things get dirty again with a great guitar solo that evokes a kind of raw, desert atmosphere reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, although the track as a whole has a much more soulful feel. When the chorus returns for the final time, it feels even more powerful than before. This is a very well-written song that knows exactly where it wants to go.
The second track, Marigold & Cosmos, starts on a gentler note, with an effected guitar slowly setting the mood before the song gradually breaks open. The drums have a slightly jazzier feel, the vocals lean more towards alt-pop, and everything flows beautifully together. The vocal performance then becomes much more energetic, and I have to give a lot of credit to the production here. Everything feels clear and defined, while the instrumentation still has plenty of weight and momentum. There’s a lot going on, but it never feels overcrowded.
Back in the Before is one of my highlights of the EP. It’s incredibly energetic, with an almost rap-like edge, and the vocalists Brianne Reyes and Sienna Law have an excellent flow throughout. The verses are genuinely infectious, and the melody is fantastic. There’s also a strong emotional quality to the track that makes it particularly memorable.
Anomaly takes a different approach, opening with a piano intro before suddenly bursting into full energy. Once the vocals arrive, though, the song retains a more intimate feel, despite the Frusciante-esque guitar weaving its way through the arrangement. At times, the guitar drops away completely, leaving just the vocals and piano. These constant shifts in intensity give the song a kind of rollercoaster quality, and they work really well. It feels unpredictable without ever losing its sense of direction.
The penultimate track, Ghost, opens with a very memorable riff before unexpectedly drifting into reggae territory. The verses are particularly playful and loose, while the chorus shifts into a more energetic indie-rock sound that works well and carries a strong emotional punch. The playful verses may be surprising at first, but the different elements are tied together really well by the vocals. A massive guitar solo in the final third of the track only adds to its emotional weight.
The EP closes with How Could You Say It, which begins with minimalist acoustic guitar and vocals. This immediately reminded me a little of Phoebe Bridgers’ latest album. I think this side of Calico City suits them extremely well, partly because it gives the vocals so much room to shine. I also really like the fact that, even as the song gradually builds, it remains acoustic and grounded compared to the tracks that came before it, relying mainly on acoustic guitar and cello. It’s a simple but effective way to close the EP, while also adding another layer of variety to the whole record.
Overall, Second in Line is an impressive debut that never seems afraid to move between different styles and moods. Calico City manage to bring together alternative rock, reggae, psychedelic touches and more intimate acoustic songwriting without making the EP feel disjointed.
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