‘…It’s the truly soul-stirring sound of an individual realising they have so much more to give to the world than they had come to believe…’
It has been eight years since Richard Sallis last released an album of new material. The frontman of Adelaide’s The Cameramen constructed the band’s last full-length record ‘Good Things Do Happen’ all the way back in 2017, although the album saw a re-release in 2020. Since then, Sallis has been contending a loss of confidence as an artist, only able to a point of internal reconciliation in 2023, with a surprise new solo single entitled ‘The Kid Has Gone Missing’.
From this point onwards, not only has Sallis been gifted an artistic second wind, but also the task of being a brand new father. Out of what seemed to be the ashes of his musical journey arose his latest record, ‘Felix’, which places Sallis into the position of a solo artist, accompanied by an ensemble of close creative friends.
‘Felix’ lures the listener in with cinematic yet accessible indie rock, with a gorgeous introductory number in the form of ‘The Kid Has Gone Missing’. Yet by the third track, ‘The Bill and Dean Orchestra’, the album morphs and contorts around the listener into a dizzying, bombastic carnival of wailing guitars, big band brass, and vocals that eschew any expectations. It’s a chaotic experience, brimming with a wild sense of anxiety and anger, as Sallis conveys the nightmare of being unable to move on from old bad habits with a theatrical, progressive, psychedelic flair.
The internalised anger gives way to to remorse and regret with the beautiful and thoughtful ‘My Old Unexpected Friends‘, as Sallis ruminates on opportunities past, and his belief that his musical career, and perhaps the golden age of his own life, has reached an unexpected end. The dreamier, softer notes of this track reverberate through the follow-up, ‘No Time Like The Present’, with its twinkling instrumentation and playfully marching rhythms sharply contrasting the vicious bitterness of Sallis’ vocal performance, as he declares ‘I hope you’re not alright’ with the backing of childish gang vocals; the anger that to this had been internalised now spills forth, in a blinding, bitter, cathartic fury.
The bitterness and anger that Sallis has contended with across the span of this record continues as ‘Felix‘ reaches its climax, but this darkness begins to crack and splinter and Sallis comes to understand that the patterns of trauma he has been victim to can come to a close with the birth of his new son. This sense of self-actualisation comes to life in the form of ‘Bouncing Masquerade Ball‘, a ten-minute epic consisting of three distinct phases, with Sallis wishing only that his son can be free from the same demons that have plagued him. It’s a truly majestic piece of art, with a stripped back indie opening giving way to a rousing, cinematic midsection, before the rhythm of a bouncing ball carries the track out to an exuberant instrumental conclusion.
By the glorious musical sunrise of the midsection of ‘Bouncing Masquerade Ball’, you come to realise that ‘Felix’ is more than just a collection of songs, but the sound of a man regaining his purpose. It’s the truly soul-stirring sound of an individual realising they have so much more to give to the world than they had come to believe, exploring his own pain, anger, and vulnerabilities, and how he can break the cycles of trauma that have plagued him; through the birth of his son and the birth of this album, Sallis himself has been reborn.
2024 was a very strong year for music, but if ‘Felix’ is anything to go by, then 2025 is to be even stronger yet; it is hard to imagine commencing another year of music on a stronger note. Richard Sallis has provided not just music, but an experience, and one that demands your time, attention, and patience. The results are beautifully, gloriously rewarding.
RATING: 88/100 – Mostly Excellent
For Fans Of: Manchester Orchestra, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, The Dear Hunter, Str^nge, Coldplay
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