Grammy-nominated Australian alt, electro-pop collective Mansionair sound superb on “Shadows,” their distinct and memorable first single of 2019. 

Australian trio Mansionair (Lachlan Bostock, Alex Nicholls, and Jack Froggatt) first caught my eye courtesy of Seattle electronic duo ODEZA; they were featured guests on the Grammy-nominated dance recording, “Line of Sight” (A Moment Apart).  After personally last hearing them on the awesome 2018 single, “Technicolour”, Mansionair ‘brings the heat’ once again on their first new single of 2019, “Shadows.”

“Shadows” features warm, inviting vocals from Mansionair. Ultimately, the vocal tone is superb – rich to the nth degree. Throughout “Shadows,” there’s an excellent build-up of intensity. The first verse begins with subtlety, picking up steam heading towards the chorus. Expectedly, the chorus is absolutely stunning, yielding even more robust and dynamic vocals, while the production is fuller.

“I keep running from my shadow
Hide from the sun; I won’t be found
Everywhere I go, it follows
I find my feet when I’m off the ground
And I keep running from my shadow
Hide from the sun; I won’t be found
And everywhere I go, it follows
I find my feet when I’m off the ground
And oh, we’re running from my shadows
Oh, we’re running from my shadows.”

On the second verse, like the first, Mansionair ‘bring it back down.’ Even so, there’s a bit more oomph and punch on the second verse, which also happens to be shorter than the first.  Additionally, the lead-in to the second chorus is grander than the first (“…For you, for you, for you”). An outro, different from the rest of the song, follows the chorus (“We’re so out of line…”)

Final Thoughts 

All in all, Mansionair delivers the goods once more on the distinct and memorable single, “Shadows.” The record is well-produced, well-performed in regards to vocals, and overall well-written.  Lachlan Bostock, Alex Nicholls, and Jack Froggatt definitely deserve more recognition than what they’ve received as of yet.  “Shadows” is on-point.

Mansionair • Shadows [Single] • Glassnote • Release: 1.15.19

Photo Credit: Glassnote