Hydroplane – Hydroplane (LP)

Hydroplane – Hydroplane

Hydroplane’s self-titled 1997 debut finally returns to vinyl: a quietly remarkable collection of dream pop, guitar atmospherics, tape loops and drifting electronic experiments from members of Melbourne’s The Cat’s Miaow.

Originally conceived as little more than a one-off diversion, Hydroplane began with the single-sided 7-inch Excerpts From Forthcoming LP - a sonic collage teasing an album the group had no intention of making. Thankfully, the record followed. Working from a Brunswick flat with 4-track tape, manipulated samples and a borrowed Jupiter-4, the trio shaped soaring melodies, miniature instrumentals and soft-focus drones into a beautifully restrained late-night sequence.

Kerrie Bolton’s ethereal vocals give the album its centre, floating through reverb-heavy guitars and strange Radiophonic Workshop-like interludes. It is intimate and homespun without ever feeling small; with an experimentalism that retains the melodic instinct that made The Cat’s Miaow so beloved.

Though largely overlooked in Australia, Hydroplane developed an international following through releases with Drive-In, and Wurlitzer Jukebox and earned repeated support from John Peel, with “We Crossed The Atlantic” reaching his 1997 Festive Fifty.

A cult Australian indie record whose blurred edges have only grown more compelling with time.

Tracklisting

• 1. Wurlitzer Jukebox

• 2. Piano Movement With Percussion

• 3. Song For The Meek

• 4. I Hear A New World

• 5. New Monotonic FM

• 6. House Warming

• 7. 14th July

• 8. Reprise

• 9. Beloved Invader

• 10. Interlude

• 11. New Monotonic FM (Acoustic)

• 12. LDR

• 13. Send In The Clowns

• 14. Completed Extract From The Previous 7"