Platonic Sex have you right where they want you.
The Brisbane four-piece have mastered the droning guitar and expertly navigated vocals that became their signature sound through the steady release of EP’s and singles from 2021.
The opener “Over It”, evokes those half-dreams you indulge in just on the edge of sleep. Half-memory and half-imagination. Hopeful and disembodied and brand-new and unfamiliar all at once. Multi-layered, hazy guitar tones dance underneath angelic vocals. Easing you into the gut punch of emotion you’re in for.
Throughout the record, Platonic Sex lean into sharp tonal twists, leading you towards crescendos that never quite arrive; instead, they dissolve into new sections altogether, diverting your emotional momentum rather than satisfying it. It’s disorienting in the best way, mimicking the push and pull of memory itself.
“Easy” captures this feeling perfectly on the line repeated throughout the song like a mantra, “I could spend forever waiting in the ether.” That weightless longing sums up the record’s atmosphere. It’s suspended, it’s self-aware, and it’s beautifully unresolved.
Tracks like “Undoes” prove the band’s vocal power, but what’s more impressive is their restraint. Every harmony and layer has been placed with intention, shaping the emotional narrative rather than showing off technical range.Even between songs, transitions feel purposeful, keeping the record’s train-of-thought energy intact. It plays less like a collection of tracks and more like a continuous stream of reflection; one that ebbs, folds, and reforms as you listen.
It’s a dreaming sounding record with a foundation deep in reality, it’s a reminder that the battle continues even after you get the girl, and it’s an incredibly exciting debut - setting up great anticipation of the next project undertaken by the band.
Words by Sabine Lee Cook