The Winebox Inquiry

The Winebox Inquiry is the solo project of William Daymond, a Wellington-based musician seemingly collecting bands to play in – at last count it was, er, dozens. And here he plays everything – writing and singing too – with this self-titled seven-track EP available at a “name your price” deal on Bandcamp. The songs were recorded early last year, this recording made available just a couple of month ago.

Daymond’s predilection for Flying Nun’s golden era, for the jangle-pop with autumnal hues (the likes of The dBs) and the VU-meets-Go-Betweens areas within Record Collection Pop inform his work here across breathy song-slivers (The Lift) and upbeat melodic trots (Foothills).

There’s a touch of the 1960s in the picking intro and minimalist drum feel of Nothing Happens Anymore, plenty of fun in the lyrics of I Am A Cliché (“I am a cliché/But so are you” follows the announcement of “…from the alarm clock in the morning/to the glass of wine at night”) all delivered in a whispered way that suggests Elliott Smith covering Robert Forster.

Depends Who You Know/Reminds Me Of You is an unabashed Knox tribute from the rattling drum machine and Beatle-esque vocals to swirls of garden-shed organ and scrunched-up guitar fuzz.

And then we finish with Say Something Now – elegiac – and if The Winebox Inquiry’s seven tracks fly by in EP speed (22 minutes) it’s certainly with full-album quality.

Grab a copy. It’s worth adding to your list of lovely little gems to enjoy on your own, to share with those you know will care to hear it.