Anglo-Australian band Owl & Mouse began as a solo effort from singer and ukelele player Hannah Botting, who released her EP One through Haircut Records back in 2011. In the intervening years, she’s been joined by Jen Botting, Emma Winston and Tom Wade, and her sound has gained an indie-pop tone. If they remind you of Allo Darlin’, don’t be surprised to hear that Hannah is the sister of their bassist Bill – and Owl & Mouse have comfortably settled into the same family of musicians. Emma also plays in Darren Hayman’s band, the EP was recorded by the Tigercats’ Giles Barrett, and Allo Darlin’s own Paul Rains designed the artwork.
Opener ‘Don & Anna’, an ode to the Mad Men characters, gently builds from Hannah’s raw vocal and ukulele into something more ambitious but if anything it is an outlier – the rest of the EP is much more delicate and minimalist. ‘Western Skies’ sees Tom takes over on the vocals for a sweet, melancholic song, while closer ‘Terrible Things’ is a simple closer, with its hopeful but bittersweet mood neatly encapsulating the record as a whole.
Somewhere To Go comes over as understated, delicate and minimalist, but its honest and melancholic tone and beautiful melodies certainly make it worth checking out.
Words: Eric Taylor