Australian duo Armlock make music for having your head in the clouds. On new album Seashell Angel Lucky Charm, Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell bring you on a steady ascension through compressed and heavenly sonic realms. The band's second proper release, and first for Run For Cover Records, showcases the songwriters' experimental electronic roots through an indie rock lens. Free from distortion or overindulgence, Seashell Angel Lucky Charm is a collection of consistent rhythms decorated with clean guitar tones and eccentricities. Through playful layers of vocal harmony and minimal arrangements, Armlock capture the inventive and uncomplicated essence of Pinback or Alex G.
Self-described as "indie rock with a touch of spirituality and emo," Armlock's journey into a higher realm is seeped with the looming confusion that comes with exploring the unknown. With an introverted demeanor, Armlock explores the human desire to find guidance in a world much bigger than it's people. Album highlight "Guardian" cuts to the heart of the album and it's central theme - the desperate search for a spiritual guide. Vocalist Lam sifts through his everyday life that feels laden with meaning. "Ready for my essence to be found / Cos I'm seeing their number all around / Guide me safe lead me from harm / My seashell angel lucky charm." Guitar bends and piano rolls ping across the song's structure until it fades into an airy soundscape where Lam yearns for his "guardian" through hushed vocals and chirping birds. Armlock's genre-spanning musical influences coalesce best on album opener "Ice Cold." One trap beat away from a Bladee track, the song begins with robotic voices reminiscent of Boards of Canada and evolves into the meditative warmth found in Adrianne Lenker's more lo-fi work. There's a subdued tenderness to Lam's vocal delivery as he ponders the loss of a friendship and introduces the album's fixation on air signs and higher dimensions. Every sound on Seashell Angel Lucky Charm feels precise and intentional, making the anthemic choruses on tracks like "Fear" and "El Oh Ve Ee' feel expertly placed and pop-oriented. These two songs show Armlock's savvy with harmony as they use octaves of angelic sounds to stretch a simple one-word chorus until it soars with meaning. Unlike most indie rockers, Armlock use guitar as a tool in their belt rather than a vessel for songwriting. Where their 2021 EP Trust set foundations in downtempo acoustic guitar, Lam and Mitchell's evolved songwriting is a testament to where an electric guitar can amplify a song's groove, or usher in sonic space.