Lowtide - Southern Mind (LP)

Lowtide’s second album, Southern Mind, landed in February 2018 on local label Rice Is Nice, and it still feels like the moment this Melbourne outfit quietly tightened the screws on their dream pop machinery. The band doesn’t chase big gestures. They lean into swoon, shimmer and patience, and the payoff comes in waves rather than punches. You can hear it in the way the guitars glide across each other, in how the rhythm section holds a cool centre while the vocals drift and entwine. It is shoegaze with clear edges, not a blur, and that clarity makes these songs stick.

Alibi was the calling card ahead of release and it remains a gem. The guitars sparkle with that chorus and reverb glide you want from this kind of record, but the hook is unhurried and slightly bittersweet. The track builds without tipping into bombast, all restrained tension and silvered melody. It is an easy entry point if you are new to the band, and a reminder for long-time fans that Lowtide know how to make prettiness feel purposeful.

Across Southern Mind the band pulls off a neat trick. The songs feel enveloping, almost drowsy at first pass, yet the details keep tugging your ear back. Bass lines are more melodic than you expect, the drums have a dry snap that grounds all that glow, and the vocals trade in cool harmonies that avoid the obvious. The record’s pacing helps. Nothing rushes. Tracks unfurl at a human tempo, and that gives the riffs and bass runs room to work their quiet magic. It is the kind of album that rewards a late night listen when the house is still and you can actually hear the air around the instruments.

There is a clear sense of place running through it too. You can almost picture the band fine-tuning these parts in a practice room somewhere north of the river, tinkering with pedal chains and amp settings under bad fluorescent lights, then bringing that careful balance into the studio. Melbourne’s long love affair with jangly guitars and shoegaze textures is in the DNA here, but Lowtide refuse to wallow. They chase lift and light. The guitars chime and swell, never sludge. The vocals never get swallowed by the mix. It is dream pop that knows how to breathe.

If you came in via the debut and its hazier drift, Southern Mind feels like a step up in confidence. The arrangements are tighter, the hooks feel a touch sharper, and the band sounds comfortable holding a mood for five or six minutes without losing focus. It is music that trusts the listener. Nothing is shouted at you, yet by the end of each song you can hum the motif and remember the way the harmony turns at the chorus. That is a rare kind of craftsmanship.

On vinyl, the album opens up beautifully. The low end is where the difference really hits. Those bass figures carry more weight and the guitars fan out with a nice halo around them, so if you spot Southern Mind vinyl in the wild, grab it. Lowtide vinyl has become a quiet staple for local collectors who want that balance of haze and precision, and this pressing does the songs justice. If you are browsing a Melbourne record store on a Saturday arvo, it is the sort of sleeve you clock in the L section and feel chuffed to take home. And if you prefer to sort your shelves from the couch, it is easy enough to buy Lowtide records online from the usual suspects that deal in vinyl records Australia wide. Hunting for Lowtide albums on vinyl is a satisfying chase because this one pays you back every spin.

Southern Mind did not arrive to fireworks, but it has had staying power. Fans talk about it as the moment the band found their stride, and it is not hard to see why. The songs hum with quiet confidence, the performances are locked-in yet never stiff, and the mood is consistent without turning samey. It is the sort of record you put on for the texture, then keep coming back to for the songs.

If your shelves tilt toward the gentler end of shoegaze, this is essential. Put on Alibi to get your bearings, then let the rest of the album drift over you. You can file it next to the local greats that value craft over clatter. And if you are curating a playlist for a long tram ride or lining up your next turntable spin, Southern Mind earns its spot every time.