Forever So

Homespun yet elusive in sound, Husky falls into a dreamy space between Nick Drake and Fleet Foxes on its debut album, Forever So. Caressing textures and wistful sentiments define the Australian quartet’s approach, with band namesake Husky Gawenda’s misty-toned high tenor at the center of the acoustic-based arrangements. Beneath the songs' surface sweetness is palpable angst and yearning, captured in shards of memory and snatches of dialogue. In classic folk-rock fashion, Husky combines melancholy moods with crisp, gliding rhythms. Gawenda and company flirt with bossa nova jazz in “Hunter” and shake things up with a jittery groove in “Hundred Dollar Suit,” offering contrast to the gauzy atmospherics of “Tidal Wave” and “The Woods.” “Don’t Tell Your Mother,” “Animals & Freaks,” and “Farewell (In 3 Parts)” express a tender yet resolute romanticism, with just enough hope to keep the darkness at bay. Husky does it all with an easy camaraderie, embodied in its closely matched vocal harmonies. Forever So evokes long, lonesome walks and rainy-day musings.