Release of the Week 27/8 - Kav Temperley “Pollyanna”
Eskimo Joe broke out in the mid 2000s as a raw, grungy and grittily Australian take on the alternative rock wave that defined the post-grunge decade. However, the band has been on hiatus since Wastelands in 2013. Now in 2018, lead singer Kav Temperley is breaking out on his own with a solo LP, titled All Your Devotion. The debut single ‘Pollyanna’ acts as an introduction not just to this new album, but also to Temperly as a solo artist.
At its core, ‘Pollyanna’ is a strong, catchy and well produced song that limits itself with simplicity. All the elements, from the raw instrumentation, emotional lyrics and Temperley’s impressive vocals, meld together and create a convincing unity. While everything is good, however, nothing is great. ‘Pollyanna’ is strongly grounded in the pop genre, which is both its strength and its weakness. The verse opens with a rugged, deep, acoustic guitar, which grounds the instrumentation around it. Acting as a constant, the guitar is then layered over with more elaborate instruments, such as the strings and piano. As the song moves to the chorus, Temperley’s accompaniment swells to a climax, with the acoustic guitar silently stepping aside in the later chorus for the louder instruments, giving the track an orchestral sense of grandeur. The whole song is designed to build towards the chorus and, specifically, the emotion outcry “Come on Pollyanna, I’m gonna give you everything”. As such, the lyrics are playful but simple, with basic imagery such as “drifting like a stranger and rolling like a stone”. Fortunately, lines like “it doesn’t mean I’m not your friend, if I don’t call you and pretend” and “no-one really knows you when you’re out there on your own” are given some poignant emotional weight. Kav Temperley proves that he is his own man as a singer, showing an impressive amount of passion as he flaunts his higher register with calm and technical ease, which was typically not heard with Eskimo Joe. Whether due to his development over a decade-long career or the more relaxed tone his pop influences allow, this song is a showcase of Temperley as an individual artist and musician.
While the song is limited and simple, that also acts as its biggest strength. The pop structure makes the song easily digestible. As a debut single it does everything it needs to do. Hopefully, Temperley explores more artistic avenues throughout the upcoming LP, but for now, ‘Pollyanna’ gives listeners an indication of what’s next.
