Halfway – An Outpost Of Promise (Plus 1 Records)
I was facing a forlorn evening in a Travelodge, miles from sanity, decades from perfection. What a sublime moment it became, on this night in a soulless wilderness, when I got out my MacBook, stuck this CD in the drive, and slipped on the headphones. Away you go, to anywhere, but in this case, with this band, it was back to the fine company that The Go-Betweens provided with every single album, that comfort that you get listening to those irresistible songs, so full of masterful imagery and swirling moments, being carried along by their glorious talent for making the best indie pop ever to come out of Australia.

I am no longer alone in a six by eight concrete box, I am surrounded by eight Queensland musicians, who came to the attention of Robert Forster through their acclaimed (and award winning) songwriting, who then produced this, Halfway’s third album of sublime, dark at the edges, indie pop love songs.

I do not wish to saddle them with the tag of being a ‘new Go-Betweens’, although that is hardly damning praise in itself. They are not that. What they are is one of those mighty fine Australian bands, under the influence of one of the masters of Australian music, plying their trade, and giving me a reason to get up tomorrow morning and face whatever comes along with a broad smile. Just as the Go-Betweens did, and I am very, very grateful for that small thing.
www.myspace.com/halfwaycountry
Kev A.

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