- Amici is the debut album from Melbourne trio Primo! The trio is comprised of guitarists Xanthe Waite of Terry and Violetta DelConte of The Shifters, and drummer Suzanne Walker. Taking their album’s title from the Italian word for friends, Amici amiably reflects Primo!’s unique communal conception of daily life with an assortment of anecdotes, wisdoms and symptoms, all told to the tune of harmonising vocals, buzzing guitars, shuffling drums and occasional keys and samples.

You’ve Got A Million is a weighty opener. The introduction of sharp guitar harmonisation and staggered drums builds and releases with a distinctive sirenic cry, pulling a clear focus into the prophetic group vocal harmonies of the first verse, arriving with the titular line of “You’ve got a million things to do”. Their vocals follow closely the melodies of the guitar lines, falling and rising rhythmically while providing a fuller contrast to the thinner sounds of guitar strumming, interrupted plodding drums and the hums and fuzzes of effects. The structure is a straightforward but effective stacking of noodling sections, with the distinctive wailing sound that underlies the track providing an effectively transcendent counterpoint to the reality throughout.

From the get-go, there is a sense of restrained emotion to the vocals, appreciatively world-weary curiosity particularly on A City Stair with its lyrical meditation on a banal city scene and the specific structural composition of the central city stairs. It’s conclusion in a repeated chant of “Love in all situations” is an unexpected pull away from the line of questioning towards a confident mantra. Its restlessly strummed contemplation and closing declaration is somewhat reminiscent of early Mekons.

Future is a scuffling, bureaucratic work song with a momentum that alternates between rushed and interrupted, with a sense of busyness and stress underlying the addition of keys in the chorus. The propulsive Mirage introduces bass into the mix, anchoring some dark guitar lines that build up progressively fuzzier riffs for most of the track before being compounded by a quick verse of epistemological examination. “What is this thing I see? / Let’s put it in a category.” The drive to understand and to derive sense from mundane experience runs through Amici, with the different moods of individual songs playing off each other with a suprising sense of cohesion. Closed Tomorrow, for example plods along with a sense of relief from the bustling of Mirage and Future, admist the narrative haze of a public holiday, punctuated by the rhythmic sound of doors closing.

The understated guitar hooks and group vocal melodies are the standout feature, both never seeming to settle on one approach but always branching out to new and unexpected paths. There's the pitch shifted guitar interplay of Bronte Blues, the pronounced call and response of Family Dinner Club, sublime vocal melodies of Ticking Off A List, and the slow build and wah effected bridge of Daphne.

Amici is a suprisingly unique record. There's an unexpected amount of sonic variance from the trio, and a sense of undivided unity throughout. The diverse content is dutifully and subtly managed within familiar forms and comprising a modestly long, concise record. Though it finds its basis in the mundane routines of daily life, it elevates to unexpected heights, inspiring a new appreciation for one's foundational habits and observational faculties.

- Jaden Gallagher.