Mermaid Avenue - Jacarandas

​Mermaid Avenue

Jacarandas
self-released; 2026

​​By ​Dino DiMuro​​​
​

I'm not sure if Mermaid Avenue is a street in Brisbane, Australia, but it's definitely a band. Formed in 2015, and inspired by the Woody Guthrie tribute by Billy Bragg and Wilco, this five-piece group just released their fourth album titled Jacarandas. As you might expect, their music has elements of folk, alt-country and Americana along with indie rock. This album has been called "the group's most cohesive and fully realized work to date."

The members are Peter Clarke (vocals/guitar), Mike Kearey (guitar/lap steel/pedal steel/backing vocals), Casey Lee Chadwick (keys/backing vocals), Nathan Poetschka (drums/backing vocals) and Mark Egan (bass/mandolin). Their songs explore memory, ambition, aging, love and the lives of characters both real and imagined. The band has already seen success with previous singles, which include finalist ranking in the Blues and Roots Radio International Song of the Year, and other songs appear on the soundtrack of the Australian film "Hero". All ten of these new tracks were first released as singles from 2023 to 2024. Recording was by James See at Airlock Studios with mixing and mastering by Jason Millhouse at Recordworks.

"Talk Pretty" crashes through the speakers in total celebratory rock mode like Bruce or Tom Petty. Having heard the album through, I'm already aware of the Mermaids' facility with catchy, singalong choruses, starting with this one: "You gotta talk pretty, Baby!" There's also a tasteful lead solo that serves the song, not itself. Next we have more crunch guitars in "First Move" which makes me wonder when the "Americana" is gonna show up. The band says Peter Clarke's vocals have been compared to Micheal Stipe, but I hear all sorts of other influences including Neil Young in this track. There's a quieter but just as inventive guitar solo this time, which I assume is the handiwork of Mike Keary. 

The title track "Jacarandas" finally introduces some slide or pedal steel guitars. The vocals and overall song remind me of Elton John, which is a pretty high bar to clear! At first I found this song a bit "poppy" but it really grew on me. "More Than This" also betrays a bit of Elton in the vocals and especially in the ringing keyboards of Casey Lee Chadwick. "The Bigger They Are (The Harder They Fall)" is a phrase most of us are familiar with, and the arrangement here is properly foreboding, with spaghetti western guitars, minor chord acoustics and a Harry Chapin vibe to the vocals. "She'll Come Down When She's Ready" says most of it right in the title (and the short video of a guy waiting with flowers) and is relatable to any man who's ever dated a woman.

"Imagine Ruth" settles into an acoustic folk groove with jangly guitars like The Byrds. "Better Not to Know" is a driving, medium-volume pop rocker in a minor key that recalls the brilliant songwriting and vocals of Freedy Johnston. The closing track "Boy in the Mirror" features guest Melinda Coles on fiddle, an amazing, enchanting sound that takes the song to another level. The subject has been broached before (by Michael Jackson among others) but the Mermaid version is beautiful and touching.

Great tracks, every one of the them! Go sample Jacarandas and enjoy!

Become A Fan

Tweet