Review: 'The Great Impression' by Sparkadia for Tom Magazine

Whoops, missed this one going up on TOM Magazine.

SPARKADIA

The Great Impression (Ivy League)
Australian alternative-pop outfit Sparkadia return to deliver a second release, well, one of the band members does. Alex Burnett does brilliantly on his own, with the help of a handful of contributors and one trip to Mother Britannica. The record’s first single, ‘Talking Like I’m Falling Downstairs’ has been on Triple J high rotation since late last year, with freshly released ‘China’ also scoring its fair share of airplay. Both are fine examples of tender indie-pop  -  all soaring choruses, desolation and ironically upbeat choruses. The other tracks that make up the bulk of the record do not disappoint. 
The Great Impression is haunting and expertly constructed, with deliberate peaks and troughs. It opens strongly with the simply effective title track, quickly covering the lead tracks and keeping on a high with ‘Love Less Love’. Other highlights are the gently building power of ‘I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish’ and the drawn-out concluding ‘Fade From View’. It’s a strong release that proves a change of band structure, a change of location, or a change of heart can do more good than harm.