- If you haven’t already clocked the whistling of Molly Lewis, she’s a muso who splits her time between Oz and the US. Her very lyrical style conjures many different points of reference, from the spaghetti western soundtracks of Ennio Morricone, to the Bossa Nova stylings of João and Astrud Gilberto -thanks in part, certainly, to help from Brazilian guitarist Rogê, as well as percussionist Gibi Dos Santos on her two EPs- and, as her own liner notes point out, the intriguing vocalisations of Yma Sumac. Perhaps more than anything else, in line with Ms. Sumac, her work cleaves to the deliciously odd, amusingly tongue in cheek and tawdrily entertaining style, exotica. Her world seem to attract weird and wonderful occurrences, I was struck by an anecdote from The Guardian, which seemed to belong more in a Jim Jarmusch movie than in real life: “That same evening, Lewis met actor John C Reilly, who professed his love for Lewis’s lyrical whistling and invited her to join his weekly roller skating club.” I wonder if Molly Lewis’ life is a strangely intoxicating as her music invites us to believe, or if it’s all just a Mirage.

I was very much hooked on the advance single and, unusually titled, Miracle Fruit, remember the tawdrily entertaining bit? Teasing, mysterious, ethereal and full of longing, it’s very much the heart of Molly Lewis’ craft. These are all qualities repeated across the new EP. It draws in on an other-woldly melancholia, which was certainly present on Lewis’ previous EP, 2021’s The Forgotten Edge, but seems to dominate proceedings much more here. Even the faux-dolphin song whistled up on Dolphinese -there’s plenty of inspiration and sampling from the natural world hereabouts- makes for just about the most moody Cetatean I think I’ve heard. Upbeat moments have largely left the stage. It might mean, for some listeners, that Mirage appears and disappears a little too easily, twenty minutes that are so through-composed, you don’t really notice the borders of songs in the gentle echoes before its done. For me though, there’s still plenty to like, including the lovely cover of Nat King Cole’s breakthrough -ethereal and mysterious- hit, Nature Boy.

Whistling is such a niche area, you wonder if, like beat-boxing, it can ever really break through in the entertainment industry. With fantastic connections and an undeniable, exotic appeal, Molly Lewis is certainly making the case, while still in the early stages of her career. I’ll be very keen to see what she whistles up at full length; I expect it will be much more than just a Mirage.

- Chris Cobcroft.