Chet Faker or Nicholas James Murphy as he’s known to his parents is probably best known for his collaboration with Fellow Australian, Flume on 2012’s ‘Drop The Game’.
It all gets off to a strong start, ‘Release Your Problems’ showcases Murphy’s woozy brittle vocals like a big hot water bottle cuddle, and there are moments of brilliance on Built on Glass. ‘Talk Is Cheap’ presents a jazzy saxophone and arguably the strongest hook on the record but frustratingly, inconsistency creeps in and out. ‘Cigarettes & Loneliness’ is a near 8-minute slog that drags so much I contemplated going out for a smoke (and I don’t smoke) until it was over to kill the time.
Elsewhere, Blush sounding very similar to James Blake’s ‘Wilhelm Scream’ with more of a rattle in its chest before expanding into a multi-instrumental meandering of nonsense and disappointment. Later on one track has some ‘oh yeah’ looped sampled vocals that could be lifted straight from a Moby effort, which as it’s titled 1998 is quite fitting and is also quite excellent.
Built On Glass feels like a soundtrack to a trendy house party from an American movie where lots of handsome friends discuss their successful lives over bottles of Cobra and Budweiser all strategically arranged for the aid of product placement. And while it shows great potential it also feels more like a decent starting platform than a defining moment in Murphy’s career.
Built On Glass is released on April 10th by Future Classic