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Steph Casey, the young Kapiti Coast based songwriter and musician has just released her exceptional sophomore album, The Seats In My Car, which is a captivating mix of acoustic guitar and honeyed vocals, backed by an impressive line-up of musicians. Her sound is described as a mix of indie-folk and alt-country.
This is an album of beauty. Gorgeous arrangement and tone with golden melodious vocals and heart-warming lyrics. Each one of the seven tracks is a cleverly crafted delight. It is easy to see why her debut album Whisper And Holler went straight to number four in the NZIM Album Charts.
Steph Casey already has an admirable list of achievements under her belt. Whisper And Holler gained her glowing international reviews which lead to an invitation to the USA to record her second album with producer Jason Rubal (Robert Smith (The Cure), Amanda Palmer). She has an impressive international following on the popular streaming platform SoundCloud.
Her first single from her second studio album, is At A Bar Downtown. This is accompanied by a visually creative (yet beautiful in its simplicity) music video. From the first strum of her guitar I could tell this was going to be a special album. Steph offers up glorious vocal melodies from the get-go.
The second track Hannah May was my favourite. This track had the gritty story telling qualities which is favoured by country artists. It is completely engaging and flowed beautifully. This is the kind of song you can’t help but sway along to.
Moving on to the title track, The Seats In My Car her songwriting style and vocalisation continues to enthral. The backing from the band which accompanies Steph on this album is comprised from talents such as three principal member of indie-pop band Let’s Planet – Caroline Easther (The Chills, The Verlaines, Beat Rhythm Fashion) on drums, Alan Galloway (Let’s Planet, Galloway) on electric guitars, and Murray Costello (The Mockers, Sneaky Feelings, The Wooden Box Band) on bass. Adding to this impressive mix are also contributions from Alan Norman (The Warratahs, Rag Poets) on accordion and hammond organ, backing vocals by Wellington singer-songwriter Haine Jostensen, with Emily Clemmet (The Wooden Box Band, Ska Pai) on trumpet.
This is an album of sublime layers; her luminescence continues to shine through nailing the Americana sound which The Seats In My Car offers up. Her vocal clarity and heartfelt lyrics complement each other flawlessly.
Delightful from start to finish.
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About the author Corinne Rutherford
My name is Corinne. I am a music reviewer based in Tauranga. I am currently in a band called The Knids with my partner Michael and good friend Chris. My journey in the NZ music scene started with gig photography, which then evolved into writing and singing. I am passionate about local and New Zealand based music and the musical artists who create it.
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