(Independent/Vitamin)

Tea Leaves that are kept within the teabag

Imagine the resurging world of indie folk to be a high school. Bands like Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons would be the cool kids, while The Tea Leaves would most likely be the kid who everyone likes, but who eats their lunch alone in the library. The Tea Leaves’ self-titled debut is a mix of what is good and bad when it comes to indie folk. They capture the beauty that lies within the genre through the near-perfect harmonies between John van Cuylenburg and Jess Wilson. Lullaby and the Magnetic Fields cover, It’s Only Time, are without doubt the album’s highlights, grabbing the listener’s attention from the outset. There are moments where the influence of Simon And Garfunkel can be heard, although it seems John Denver has had much more of an impact on von Cuylenburg’s writing. Overall the album is very bland. With songs that are very radio-friendly, others that are very underground and the rest somewhere in the middle, it makes it hard to get a clear picture of who The Tea Leaves actually are.

BRAD CAMERON

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