A Little Worse Than Ever

Izy “They Don’t Care”

Izy is a trio of young men from Melbourne who play neo-soul like grizzled veterans –always a crisp and tight pocket groove, but also loose enough to let every part feel breezy and spontaneous. “They Don’t Care” sounds like they were aiming for a very D’Angelo-on-Voodoo sort of feel and mostly got there, though they’re not as strong with atmosphere. Ryo Montgomery’s guitar is the focal point here, carrying the main melody with a warm tone and elegant but not terribly fussy jazz inflections. The lead vocal and harmonies are strong too, but whereas the music seems to flow quite naturally from the players, the vocals seem like they’re working a bit too hard to sound American. It’s hardly a deal breaker, much less a problem for this particular song, but I suspect they’ll level up if they can figure out how to perform in this style with more personal vocal styles.

Buy it from Bandcamp.