The tagline reads: “Just two losers from West Auckland writing some songs.” That’s Mismatch – a duo from Auckland, New Zealand consisting of singer Lia Gianelle and instrumentalist Nishan Shrestha. After spending many years playing music together for various other bands, the duo decided to write some songs together and share them with others. Their self-titled EP Mismatch features drums, which were recorded in their old high school’s rehearsal room. Everything else – guitars, bass, vocals and other percussion – was all done in a bedroom. The mixing and mastering were also done there by Shrestha. The initial song idea came from a challenge the band set for themselves in 2019, to write 12 songs by the end of the year, just for fun. By year’s end, they took their five favorite songs and recorded them with the intent of sharing them.
Most of the recording was done with minimal gear in a “retrofitted” studio. For the most part, they were happy with the results. In keeping with their DIY spirit, the duo fashioned each song to be “immersive but authentic” where “you can put headphones on and get lost, but it would still sound real, it would still sound like us.” The duo also wanted the collection of songs to flow like a story, rather than just be a “collection of songs.” Some of the influences for the recording include Dodie, IV of Spades, Billie Marten, Foo Fighters and John Mayer, while the sound/production quality was influenced by the records of Norah Jones, Adele, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lorde. Starting out is “C’est le vie” a happy sounding tune right out of the gate, with Gianelle on vocals and Shrestha playing what sounds like a ukulele. The mellow, swinging nature of the tune reminds me of Fiona Apple’s debut, but this tune has a much lighter, carefree flavor. The song’s feeling evokes being deeply in love. “Bedhead” carries a steadier, faster beat with a pop/rock indie flavor. Something about this duo reminds me of the old school love songs of Carole King, even though there is no real piano presence here, but their songwriting has a yearning and purity about it that’s genuine. Next is “Less than Enough” a song that has the least amount of words than any on the record, but on second thought, it seems that the words were left out on the band’s Bandcamp site. A nice, breezy and gentle number in contrast to the previous number. “Woodside Rd” begins with a bright guitar and vocal intro. The song’s melody, vocal harmonies are what caught my ears the most, as well as the way the band mixed up a rock/pop sound, kind of a Foo Fighters meets Adele approach – a very memorable number overall. The last tune “Goat God” is all acoustic, and the riff and rhythm is quite catchy, a little bluesy in fact. Shrestha’s guitar prowess is really great on this tune and the ending chord played was brilliant. The band’s lyrics suggest some kind of predicament where a “devil” woman heretic, or “faithful” religious charlatan, meets her fate and purpose in life. This DIY Auckland duo has got great chemistry, and their decision to share their music with others was not mismatched here – looking forward to hearing more.
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