Hamish Anderson has continued to hone his skills as a recording artist over the course of his recent releases, including the 2014 EP restless, plus his first two full-length albums, problem in 2016 and Out of my head three years later. Well, with ELECTRICAL, As his public profile grows, his creativity increases even further.

In the 46-plus minutes of this LP, Anderson manages to evoke his roots without sounding directly derivative of them. Simultaneously reminiscent of the Beatles and Free on opening track “You’re Mine,” this precocious Aussie wastes no time mixing crescent slide guitar, muted strings (courtesy of Jessy Greene) and R&B-tinged backing vocals.

And with “Brighter Days” Hamish continues where this title leaves off. The heavy downbeat of Peter Marin’s drums, combined with the menacing pulsation of Lauren Stockner’s bass, sets the stage for Anderson’s vocals to convey both the resilience and forlornness of the song. The slightly husky texture of his singing voice is one of his greatest strengths, and on “Electric” it simultaneously balances and complements the shine of Hamish’s co-production with David Davis.

Not coincidentally, the latter also mixed the album, so he deserves a lot of credit for appropriately highlighting the instruments in the arrangements. The organ played by Jerry Borge in “So Alive” is a case in point. Nevertheless, some gorgeous lead guitar from Hamish effectively recapitulates the clear impression of guitar heroism, confirmed by the kinetics of the digipak photograph (which may well have been on the front cover).

Hamish Anderson has the energy to burn, so he carefully channels his power(s) by incorporating diverse influences ELECTRICAL. However, the credibility of his musical personality also rests on the uniform line-up on the record: they sound like a band. Nevertheless, Hamish sets the tone, so that the guitar and piano interplay that introduces “Pale Moonlight Interlude” as well as the companion piece “Steal Away” sound ripe for a live performance.

The violent, tantalizing conclusion of the latter makes a certain evenness of tempo in the material here questionable. Meanwhile, the wide range of lead guitar lines on “Pain” reflect the emotional turmoil portrayed in the lyrics. And the immediate transition to “It Ain’t Easy” only heightens the effect, especially as the cut’s relative brevity (less than three minutes) emphasizes the complementary back-and-forth between the game and all of Anderson’s original songs (one exception being the latter). composed by Ron Davies.

The cumulative dynamics that arise within ELECTRICAL is deceptive, but when the penultimate track “Strangers” appears, the drama inherent in Hamish’s performance(s) is unmistakable. And so it culminates in the final track “Sweet Dreams”: The soaring pedal steel, mixed with acoustic guitar and strongly reverberating, slightly melancholic main vocals, underlines the basic mood of Electric.

As a sign of his maturity, Hamish Anderson gives these twelve tracks the logic of a purposeful song cycle. It is the work of a musician who has brilliantly gone beyond his roots.