Hobart-based songwriter / producer Tim Downey has previously spent time playing in indie bands, but this debut five track EP under his new Teinne alias ‘True Type’ sees him pursuing an electronically assisted solo artist path that’s not completely dissimilar to the likes of Gotye. There’s certainly more than a hint of the aforementioned artist’s atmospheric approach in the slow programmed beats and trailing, phased synths of downbeat opener ‘Break This Spell’ as Downey’s weary-sounding vocals and snatches of acoustic guitar cut through the blurred sense of langour, only for ‘Freaky World’ to bring the more jagged blues elements to the forefront as Downey’s reverb-drenched vocals soar over a growling backdrop of fuzzed-out guitar and echoing programmed beats. By contrast, ‘Hammer Head’ tips its hat far more towards one of Beck’s sci-fi hiphop-blues explorations as lazy clattering beats trace a path beneath dry, jangling guitars and Downey’s haunted-sounding vocals, before ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ sees him adding a ragged layer of distortion to his vocals in a stripped down slice of deconstructed junkyard blues that’s a clear homage to the likes of Tom Waits. An impressive debut EP that’s a good intro to Teinne’s solo explorations.
Chris Downton
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