I suppose that a release on a shared cassette tape pretty much predicts the use of the word unassuming and yet there is more to this release by Try the Pie and Two White Cranes than meets the ear. Certainly, neither of them would be classed as standard singer songwriters.
It is true that Try The Pie – aka Bean Kaloni Tupou - has that certain fragility that is normally associated with the female voice when combined with the acoustic guitar but there is also a poetry, if you like, that distinguishes her from the crowd as if she has successfully managed to capture the isolation of the urban environment. “Flood or Drought”, to my ears, best serves her intentions.
Two White Cranes – aka Roxy Brennan – treads a similar path but is altogether more robust in her approach with each of her songs, and especially “Head Over Heels”, sounding like they would, and should, be scaled up to band level. That’s no discredit to her performance here but her songs clearly have the capability to transcend the intimacy of the solo performer.
So while these songs might appear to appear to be unassuming, there is more than enough depth here to cause you to sink into the comfort of your headphones.