Ernest Aines is an Australia-based alternative folk, Americana and folk trance artist who has just come to my attention thanks to his debut album. Ernest describes the album as “a profound journey” and goes as far to say that it’s “sonic therapy.” It’s called Spiral Bound.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo by L Ford Yellowstone Live Sessions
Spiral Bound was originally recorded in a makeshift studio in Ernest’s bedroom back in 2019 with his closet becoming an isolation booth. From those humble origins, Ernest worked with five different producers in five separate studios to complete the project. Its ten tracks reflect the ups and downs of the world and aims to provide an aural balm for those struggling with life’s sharp edges.
The album opens with Pixels. It’s a track all about anxiety created by the mobile phone, something experienced right from its inception when we would wait on her tenterhooks for the response to an SMS. The track’s instrumentals are dark and brooding creating an instant sense of atmosphere that brings us into the album’s world. It’s standout feature, though, is Ernest’s soulful vocals which will have you feeling along to every note.
Yellowstone takes us into Americana territory. Rapid plucked banjo strings set the early pace and Ernest’s vocals are beautifully contemplative. Rigged Game is a slow burning and atmospheric track. Its emotional story unfolds gradually over six and a half minutes and there’s a touch of Sting about it. So Far then up to the tempo but doesn’t lose any of the emotion with its lively blues rock arrangement.
Ernest describes Lady In Waiting as a “mediaeval love song.” While there certainly is something traditional folk about it, it also has a modern edge and describes heartache as it can only exist today. Rain City is a cover of Turin Brakes. A nostalgic track for Ernest, who first heard the song on the soundtrack of the OC, his version is an acoustic and intimate highlight.
Stranger To Me has some hard hitting yet oddly uplifting lyrics. They’re delivered against a backdrop of melancholic instrumentals reminiscent of Radiohead. It’s beautifully relatable. Locked In A Cage is a raw, folksy exploration of the emotions and journey one goes through when a relation is inevitably ending. Its instrumentals bring to mind rural France and paint a vivid picture. I Won’t Take Your Honesty Away is a soft and bright moment before Tail Tale closes the album with some gentle folk. Its poetic, storytelling lyrics make it a final highlight.
You can listen to Spiral Bound below. If you like what you hear, Ernest is coming on tour here in the UK in January and February next year.
