- It seems entirely apt that the new album from Adelaide's Fair Maiden, Oleander, was recorded in a (re-purposed) church, now the suitably titled Holy Rollers Studios. After all, their hometown is Australia's very own city of churches. Further to that, it seems an appropriate setting for the music surrounding the at times ethereal vocals of lead singer-songwriter Ellen Carey, whose voice lands somewhere in the otherworldly vicinity of Kate Bush and Marissa Nadler, although less showy and more grounded than either. It's a much more spacious, atmospheric recording than their self-titled debut of 2014, courtesy of recording and mix engineers Pat Lockwood and Geoffrey O'Connor (respectively), who foreground the cavernous reverb of the environment in which the album was made (or at least pull some tricks to recreate that vibe).

Stylistically, Fair Maiden play guitar/bass/drums indie-rock seemingly influenced by things such as doo-wop, gothic-folk, garage-surf and even some pseudo-medieval undertones. It's retro and familiar, but doesn't enter into the realms of pastiche – everything feels genuine, like an authentic expression of Carey's musical personality. Some credit for this can likely be given to the other three members of the band, who are all from other groups of note from the Adelaide indie-rock community: Steph Crase of Summer Flake and Batrider, Harriet Fraser-Barbour of Wireheads and Workhorse, and Hamish Baird also of Workhorse. They provide an adept backing for Carey's songs, rarely taking the focus off her arresting vocals while still underpinning them with a pretty wide variety of moods and textures, considering how samey some bands who mine similar territory can end up sounding.

The record opens with the a-capella, somewhat choral By Your Side, melding all four members' voices in complex vocal harmonies that seem to take their cues from musical styles that date back a few centuries instead of the usual few decades, before early single Coal kicks things into gear with the jangly guitars the rest of the album is built around. It's one of the record's more immediate and memorable songs, with a pretty effective earworm contained in its chorus. Third track Willow (another single) is a dark and menacing number that moves more into gothic folk territory. Between those three songs, Fair Maiden pretty effectively define the parameters of Oleander – individual songs might get a bit more sparse (eg: on 'Joe'), a bit more pop (eg: on All I Know), or a bit more weird (eg: on Madness), but there's nothing out of character to break the spell. Fair Maiden walk the tightrope of their chosen sound with fairly expert skill, employing a limited palette of sounds to create a cohesive but still deceptively varied record, which is, most importantly, a really enjoyable listen.

- Cameron Smith.