Australia’s once hidden gem Chet Faker has been the furthest thing from sheltered in recent times. His 2012 EP, Thinking in Textures, was well recieved by listeners; In fact, it ended up winning Best Independent Single/EP at the Australian Independent Record Awards of that year. More recently, his take on Blackstreet‘s “No Diggity” was used in an advertisement for Beck’s “Sapphire’ during the 2013 Super Bowl. More and more, Chet has been attracting new followers of his soul-enfused Electronica music that is becoming popular among Australian artists, such as James Blake. So when Faker’s 2014 debut album, Built on Glass was released just a few months back, no one ever suspected it would disappoint. 

The album starts off with that iconic, soulful sound Chet always brings to the table. “Release Your Problems” integrates strong male vocals with a smooth, rhythmic beat encorporating hi-hats and a piano. “Talk is Cheap” is very similar to the opening track, except it’s slightly more upbeat and this time incorporates brass instruments like saxophone into the mix.

The climax of the album lies with Chet’s ode to all things electronic, “1998”. This track features heavy synth progressions to once again compliment strong male vocals, along with a rather “groovy” backround beat that clearly defines the new wave of Electronica music hitting Australia.

The album concludes with two tracks that really don’t fit this model. “Lesson in Patience” and “Dead Body” focus less on the vocals of the tracks and more on how various sounds, like saxophones and eerie moaning of a man, can blend together to create something beautiful. It’s as if the last two tracks of the album are used as a place for Faker to reflect his feelings and thoughts and to tell a story just through the sounds he can produce and not just through the vocals.  

Chet Faker’s debut LP, Built on Glass, serves as a breath of air for fans of electronic music. With so much of today’s music being based on what will bring in the most money for the producer and not by what would sound the most unique and ideal, Chet gives us a calm and collected idea of how music can be made: simple, yet inspiring. 

You can listen to the album in full below: