Armen Firman - Your Name In My Skin (EP)

You’d be forgiven, on first listen, for thinking that the debut EP, Your Name In My Skin from Melbourne’s Armen Firman was a long forgotten gem from the late nineties or a collaboration of an Australian music super-group. This is, however, as new as it gets. The band (comprised of Matt Millar on drums, Sammy Whitty on guitar and vocals, Rob Rambaldi on keyboard, Jimmy Saunders on vocals and bass, and Tommy Whitty on vocals and guitar), have been together around 18 months, but draw on elements of Australian music from the last decade, weaving them into a sound uniquely their own. This may be new, but it is very, very exciting.

Opening track Fall For You has elements of Front End Loader, and of early Something For Kate, but there’s also driving rock here, like Dallas Crane, and even newer sounds like Birds of Tokyo or The Butterfly Effect – strong, guitar and vocal driven rock that strikes deep at your core. Contrasted with this, second track In The Water is very Perth-centric and invokes the sounds of Eskimo Joe, with chunky, guitar filled pop, and is probably the weakest track on the EP. That said, it’s still great, and will be the song that gets your toes tapping and your bum up off your seat.

Without even knowing it had been an iTunes Single of the Week, third track Porch Dweller stood out as something special from the very first listen. It reeks of Augie March-style polka rhythms, but this is much darker, and inherently more beautiful. It’s much slower than the preceding tracks, but it is haunting and begs second, third, fifteenth listens. Tortured lyrics sit well with this music style, and the final delivery is right on the money. Additional production on this track from Wally de Backer (aka Gotye) is evident, as the style sits very much in that realm of dark and beautiful which he is renowned for cultivating.

Long Lost Cause takes on the tumultuous task of following this epic song, and does so with great fervour. Starting with some great, albeit bleak orchestral organ tones, it builds into a very guitar driven track (more so than the other tracks), and brings with it that great telecaster rumble, not heard often enough in Australian music. If anything is long lost about this track, it’s this, that great Melbourne sound that disappeared around the time we moved into the 2000’s.

Final track Only I Know You is evident of producer Franc Tetaz’s influences. Here you’ll find the layered sounds familiar to Gotye’s debut Like Drawing Blood, mixed with the tragically beautiful lyric delivery that is strictly Lior territory. It stands on its own, however, as a strong closer to a strong, though small, group of tracks.

This is some serious stuff, and for a five track EP, a very exciting snapshot of what is to come from these five strapping young lads. Check this out before their name is not just on your skin, but on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

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