Thelma Plum - Meanjin Ep (10") - 45RPM Pink Vinyl Vinyl

Thelma Plum’s Meanjin feels like you’ve ducked out for a late arvo walk along the river, then stayed till the streetlights blink on. Released in August 2022, the six-song collection is a tight, affectionate postcard to Brisbane, a city Plum has called home and a place that carries deep significance in its older name. Meanjin is the Turrbal word for the land where the CBD sits, and that framing is important here. The EP is full of landmarks and weather and memory, but it also treats language and Country with care, weaving those threads into pop songs that glow rather than lecture.

“Backseat of My Mind” was the first taste and it still hits like the breeze from a car window on the Story Bridge. The tempo strolls, the guitars chime, and Plum’s voice lands soft but sure. It is a song about looking over your shoulder at the bits of life that pile up when you are touring, growing up, and trying to pin down what home feels like. The hook is immediate, but it is the small details that make it stick, the way she tucks a melody into a line and lets it bloom in the chorus. It is one of those tracks that turns up in a café and has you Shazam-ing your own favourite.

“When It Rains It Pours” brings summer storm energy, bright guitars and a rhythm section that nudges the song forward like fat drops on tin. Brisbane knows how to do rain, sudden and theatrical, and Plum plays with that mood. There is a lightness to the arrangement, almost a shrug, which lets her phrasing carry the emotional weight. She sounds like someone who has learned to sit with a feeling until it passes, then invites you to do the same.

The title cut points toward place most directly. The Brisbane River is nicknamed the Brown Snake, and you can feel that slow coil through the EP, a sense of current under the surface. The writing zooms in on streets, seasons and faces, but the production keeps space around everything, so the songs breathe. Plum’s voice sits right in front, warm and conversational, with harmonies tucked in like friends on a balcony. There is guitar shimmer, brushed drums, bits of keys, nothing flashy, just the kind of clean pop craft that lets the lyrics do their job.

What makes Meanjin click is the balance of sweetness and steel. Plum has always been good at clear, conversational lines that carry a sting, dating back to her debut album Better in Blak, and that knack is sharpened here. The songs feel lived-in, joined by the kind of observational detail you only get by walking the same streets for years. You can hear time, and patience, in the writing. There is also a strong sense of community, the way she tips her hat to a city’s quirks and pains without smoothing them over.

If you are digging for something short and replayable, Meanjin is a neat fit. It is the right length for a side A and side B, which makes the Meanjin vinyl an easy recommendation. The arrangements are roomy and melodic, so the format really suits it. If you like to spin Thelma Plum vinyl alongside local favourites on a Sunday, this one sits comfortably next to your mellow indie and pop staples. And if you are browsing a Melbourne record store or scrolling through vinyl records Australia, keep an eye out, because Thelma Plum albums on vinyl don’t tend to linger in the racks for long. It is also a tidy add if you want to buy Thelma Plum records online and round out a collection that started with Better in Blak.

Meanjin is also a small cultural marker. Hearing that name in everyday conversation is more common now, and Plum helped normalise it for listeners who might have only known the colonial label. She does it gently, through stories that feel personal rather than didactic. That matters, and it gives the EP a resonance beyond its runtime.

The nicest surprise is how replayable these songs are. You can put it on in the kitchen and enjoy the shine, then catch new turns of phrase on headphones later. It is local without being parochial, pop without being flimsy, grounded but bright. If you have ever loved a city that sometimes breaks your heart, this record will feel like company.