Album Review: Nantes - Beings Being

Receiving plenty of airplay in 2012, Nantes' debut was always going to be one of the most highly anticipated Australian alternative albums of the year. The Sydney outfit have a unique sound, with a strong electronic element, accompanied by deep and dark vocal lines that are simply hypnotic. There's quite a contradiction in the Nantes sound – the synth gives a very pop attitude, but the dark vocals are comparable to The National, Joy Division and Nick Cave, creating a grungy atmosphere around the more upbeat instrumentation.

Opening track Alice begins as an eerie lullaby, joined by droning chants to bring an alienating atmosphere. You very much feel like you are Alice falling down the rabbit hole throughout the album, in a blur of confusion and fantasy. Drones is one of the tracks that gained the band a lot of notoriety – it's about the fear of growing up, and compared to others on the album is a more upbeat rock song with a very old fashioned recording sound, reminiscent of '80s disco bands, but with low-pitched, emotive vocals that sound almost out of place with their deep intonation.

Droning is a good way to describe Nantes' sound in general, as the deep and drawn out vocals can appear dull at times; however, this is not an insult. Indeed the majority of Beings Being is in this vein. This contradictory nature is Nantes' biggest tool – it's unique and effective, however, it will also steer some people in the opposite direction. Ultimately though, numbers like Unsatisfy, Be Happy and the title track all attest to the effectiveness of this inherent duality and assist in the creation of a great debut album.