MERE WOMEN - Big Skies (LP+mp3) (Sealed) (LP)

Local post-punk quartet aim big, and deliver, on album three. Sydney post-punks Mere Women say their third full-length is positioned as “an alternative view of the female experience”, with consideration given to social and physical isolation, not just economic inequalities. An ambitious aim, yet boldly met by an across-the-board dynamic boost of both the band’s mathy anxiousness and haunting synth surrounds. Better still, vocalist Amy Wilson wrestles free from her all-too-often companion role, and here her striking one-liners leap from the desolate, backwater scenes with a confidence and clarity that further delivers on the album’s thematic focus. JONNY NAIL / ROLLING STONES AUSTRALIA