Fingerless drops new LP ‘Repeater’

Since forming back in 2009, Fingerless is a Brisbane-based trio that’s spent years exploring a musical sphere framed by a range of different genres and styles. Their songs drift between moods and textures, collecting fragments of folk, rock, ambient sound design and psychedelic experimentation along the way, treating music like a long, open-ended tasting session, sampling different flavours and seeing how they sit together.

The group is brought to life by Marc Cheeseman leads on vocals, guitar, keys and percussion, Warwick Epiha on bass and backing vocals, with Jonny Pickvance completing the lineup on drums, percussion, backing vocals and synths. Over the years, Fingerless have embraced a patchwork of influences; acid-folk textures sit beside bursts of rock energy, while ambient passages give space for psychedelic tones and flashes of electronica.

The band have occasionally described this blend in culinary terms, imagining their music as a table filled with small plates, a little of this, a little of that, with contrasting ingredients sitting side by side, captureing the spirit of their work, where no single genre dominates the menu. Despite years of exploration, the band have never settled on a definitive flavour, their catalogue reads like a collection of tasting notes from different creative periods.

Albums such as Organ Control, Outhere and Life, Death, and Prizes offer snapshots of where their sound has travelled at various points in time. Alongside those full-length releases, the EP Does It Really Though? and a string of well-received singles have helped map the band’s developing musical path.

Now Fingerless have returned with another addition to that growing catalogue, bringing us their brand new fifth album titled Repeater, arriving via the 4000 Records imprint. Opened by “More to Come,” the soft pulse of instrumental texture is met by the jangle of bright guitar chords as airy vocals glide in to craft a power pop-esque sound. Flowing with grooving bass lines and intricate arrangement capped by soulful vocal performance, it’s a charming jam that’s timeless, catchy and original all at once.

“Portfolio” rolls with pattering drums and surf-rock vibes before jumping into a charging scene of pop-tinged rock n’ roll music, injecting a dose of swagger to the record. “Grotesque” lands with steady percussion and stacks of engrossing instrumentation before simmering down as Marc’s expressive vocals float above, forging a nostalgic soundscape of 90s alternative rock.

Other highlights on the album include songs like “Yes Today” with its moody sound of shuffling drums, restrained guitar tones and hushed vocal performance, offering a country-inflected rock outing wrapped in smokey sonic fabric. Tracks like “Hell is Othering People” flows with gentle bounce and memorable vocal hooks, progressing through rhythmic switch ups and energy shifts to form an engaging listening experience from start to finish.

“Cry a Little” delivers a buoyant jam of charming doo-wop style retro pop rock that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face while “The Same Stream” presents an epic finale of crunching guitars, lively drums, infectious vocal lines and an anthemic guitar solo, offering an incredible conclusion to the band’s sensational new album.

Listen to Repeater below