My first exposure to RBCF was blasting Hope Dawns while speeding around the southernmost point of Hawaii's big island. Lush bluffs cascading into the Pacific gradually gave way to a highway slicing through volcanic landscape, and the album's sun-bleached melodies carried the transition perfectly. Perhaps this memory, or a seasonal inclination towards guitar-driven rock, drew me towards the band's excellent sophomore LP, Sideways to New Italy.
Like the lovable indie dads, Real Estate, RBCF is a quintet whose clever lyrics and trebly guitar tones define their sound. However, unlike Real Estate's music, which feels smooth around the edges, RBCF often sounds uniquely angular and franticly fast-paced. That is certainly the case on album highlight Cars in Space, but other standout tracks such as Falling Thunder and Cameo ease back a little. Overall, the album features their best work to date, and signals that these up-and-comers out of Melbourne are ready to fully embrace in international spotlight. Thinking about best indie rock albums of the half-year, RBCF have submitted a frontrunner.