Allo Darlin’ - Capricornia

The first single from ‘Europe’, the eagerly anticipated second album from Allo Darlin’ – twee / folk vehicle for talented Australian singer / songwriter Elizabeth Morris – is called ‘Capricornia’. The title does the track no favours; it may incorrectly conjure up images of astrology and other nonsense, but in fact Morris has admitted that it’s the name of region of Queensland where she hails from.

This is a likeable enough track with gentle guitars framing Morris’s sweet voice, but after hearing the backstory, the song seems a bit of a lightweight. Saying you’ll be there for someone when the chips are down (“I will come to you / when you fall down / and when the lights go out”) is all well and good but such a trite line for a chorus lets down better lyrics like “you say the things you love are the things you never had / and when you hold them they pass through your hands like sand.” You can’t help but wish the rest of the song imparted similar wisdom.