Hello Reader,
Welcome back.
Today we’re going to delve into Eliza & The Delusionals. In 2016, Eliza Klatt formed the indie rock band in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. For the non-Aussies, Gold Coast is the sixth largest city in Australia with only Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide having more inhabitants. The band currently consists of Eliza Katt (vocals), Kurt Skuse (guitar), and Ruby Lee (bass guitar).
In 2016, Eliza & The Delusionals put out their first release, working with noted producer Konstantin Kersting, an EP titled The Time Spent on the Inside. The next year saw Kersting producing The Deeper End EP. In 2020, the band released their third EP, A State of Living in an Objective Reality. And in 2022, their first studio album, Now and Then. All the while garnering more and more notice and notoriety in their homeland.
And now, on Friday July 19th, comes their sophomore album. Released for your listening pleasure via Cooking Vinyl Australia label, is Make It Feel Like The Garden. Talking about the concept he had in mind, Skuse says, “I really wanted to create an actual liveable garden that could represent each track from the album and a place that you could almost ‘check-into’ when you listen to the record. The Garden represents where we spent most of our time writing and creating for this album, so we wanted to bring it to life through the visuals.” While on tour with the Silversun Pickups, Klatt and Skuse wanted lead singer Brian Aubert to sing a song on their upcoming album. Aubert co-wrote a song “Lately”, and none other than Butch Vig recorded his vocals.
Looking back at Make It Feel Like The Garden, Klatt stated, “This album has a really special place in my heart. I think the entire process of the album – from writing to recording to doing the visuals – has been such an incredible experience. I think as a songwriter, for myself, this album really pushed my boundaries and ideas. Every song feels like it has its place, and the lyrics are honest and genuine. I think this album really puts a spotlight on the band we want to be and the music that we love, and we couldn’t feel more united as friends and as a band. I hope that our fans old and new can enjoy the album in full and fall in love with it the way I have over the last 12 months of working on it!”
Skuse further elaborated, “It’s a space of personal reflection, a place where each listener can find solace, inspiration, or simply a moment of respite amidst life’s chaos. In the end, “Make It Feel Like The Garden” is not just an album—it’s an invitation. An invitation to step into our world, to explore our vision of the garden, and to discover the beauty and wonder that lies within. It’s a journey of the senses, a symphony of emotions, and a testament to the power of music to transport us to places both real and imagined.”
Giving credit where it’s due. Make It Feel Like The Garden album credits:
- Eliza Klatt sang lead vocals.
- Kurt Skuse played guitar.
- Ruby Lee played bass guitar.
- Kurt and Eliza wrot
e the majority of the album at their DIY studio in Napa, California. - Oscar Dawson produced the album.
- Brian Aubert, co-wrote a song, and lent vocals to that song.
And now for some hype for your ears!
The safe, refuge of a garden in “Make It Feel Like The Garden”:
(All credits and rights to Eliza & The Delusionals)
A lush floral backdrop, for a great song enhanced by sax, in the video for “Falling For You”:
(All credits and rights to Eliza & The Delusionals)
The gem combo that is “Lately ft. Brian Aubert”:
(All credits and rights to Eliza & The Delusionals)
Another catchy, upbeat song with sax? Alright, here’s “Somebody”:
(All credits and rights to Eliza & The Delusionals)
Overall, Make It Feel Like The Garden seems to achieve its goal in sharing the band’s vision of their garden. The concept album often offers summery, shimmery refuge. The interludes are a great addition, with fitting floral names and often they deliver a proper transition to the next song and/or provide the listener with a brief break. Make It Feel Like The Garden serves as a significant step forward for the band. The melodies are tight, catchy and overall great to listen to. Kudos to the band and producers for creating and executing these arrangements. The vocals hook you in as well. Klatt’s supremely talented and she showcases her delivery and range on more than a handful of occasions. “Lately (feat Brian Aubert)” will serve as some listeners favorite song on the album, but I encourage those listeners to also listen to the other songs, as there are plenty of gems and earworms to be heard. The album features lyrics that are often about relationships, and how well they are written shows that the band has taken are another step forward in terms of its songwriting growth and will continue to evolve further with subsequent albums.
The opening number, “Coming To An End” is a brief tone setter for the rest of the album. It has no lyrics and it works that way. It features some of the noises you’d expect to hear if you were outside experiencing nature in addition to some whimsical strings and brass.
“Make It Feel Like The Garden” opens with some great bass guitar and electric guitar work from Lee and Skuse before the listener hears Klatt’s gorgeous vocals for the first time. Her tone and delivery hook you instantly. The lyrics are impassioned and so is the melody, seeking refuge and further setting the tone and desire of this album’s concept.
The next song, “She Sits Up So High” opens with a quick paced drumbeat, and some slick guitar progressions. For many this will take them back to pop music sounds of the past, specifically 90s era or maybe early 00’s for others depending on what you’re familiar with, especially with Klatt’s vocals and Skuse’s guitar chords.
The first of our floral named interludes, “Iris (interlude)” is a quick mix of horns, strings and even a water like sound, with some flourishes and some build up before ending.
“Falling For You” has lyrics that are reflective about a past relationship. They lay out a familiar battle of heart versus head. In this version the heart seems to have more of a say than it should. The melody is a great pop song, with a super catchy beat made up on guitars and a production drumbeat. And a lovely sax solo. The catchy beat? Yeah, it’s one of many on the album that will have you bobbing your head and singing along.
The second interlude on this album, “Marigold (interlude)” is the longest interlude and the ambience created transports you back into the garden. Grounded after some whimsy created by the melody of the previous song, “Falling For You” and the interlude showcases Skuse’s guitar playing that transitions into the next song, “Another You” eventually serving as a main part of its melody. The vocal delivery and pacing of the melody create a triumphant anthem feel for “Another You” that is further cemented by the lyrics.
“Dahlia (interlude)” seems to ground the listener again, this time with a wall of noise including but not limited to some guitar chords. It doesn’t serve as a transition to the next song, “Hurts” which is an upbeat, moving forward, dance pop melody. In terms of its beat, “Hurts” is one of the easiest to dance to on the album, especially after the drums kick up nearly 40 seconds into the song. The lyrics are contemplative, examining a past relationship and Klatt’s delivery pace changes with the tempo, perfectly matching every time.
“I Wanna Love You” kicks off with a melody reminiscent of one from the 80s with its synth-based sound. The opening and a lot of the remainder of the melody would fit right in at an 80s dance party or as part of soundtrack to a film from that era. Like the previous song, this way moves briskly as well. The saxophone is a great touch, providing exquisite solos and complimenting Klatt’s vocals. It’s become one of my favorite melodies on the album.
“Arabella (interlude)” offers a nice transition from the previous song and introduces us to the sound and melody on the next song, “Lately (feat Brian Aubert)” which quickly becomes a beautiful jam between Aubert, Skuse, and Lee. Each adding to the sound and creating a fantastic alternative music melody that features a lovely cacophony of sound at times. The pairing Klatt and Aubert’s vocals works magnificently. Fans of both bands will love this song. I hope the bands create more music together in the future.
“Violet (interlude)” sounds like the sun is peaking through a previously dark area, very light and airy sound to it. It flows well into the next song, “Everything That Isn’t Mine” which has a dance pop production beat to it, a funky bass guitar groove from Lee and lyrics that tell of past feelings from a present day feeling of gratitude.
“Will She Know Today” opens with a 90s alternative music sounding melody. Again, one that would fit well on the radio, a tv show or within a film’s soundtrack. Propulsive drumming, and overall, another catchy melody. It’s a song with lyrics that are show the main character in denial.
“Somebody” kicks off with some great percussion and guitar work. You sway and groove to the beat along with the band. Klatt’s impassioned vocals really shine here. Amazing sax work too. The lyrics are more repetitive than some of the other songs but in a way that is by design, to build the choruses.
The second to last song on the album, “Madison” opens with a righteous guitar chord progression to lead into Klatt’s vocals. The song flows and builds in the best ways, becoming anthemic at times. It’s another song from this album that listeners should love to hear both on the album and live.
“Coming To An End Part II” does as the title suggests, we leave the garden and into a big city by the end of the :43 bit. Concept complete.
Make It Feel Like The Garden gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It slides into the lower 4.5 Scum Drops territory relative to all 2024 album releases. Which is around the 84th-85th percentile as there’s a lot to like about this album’s execution. The melodies, vocals and concept stand out most. And the songwriting is not too far behind that. Great sonic quality. I recommend adding this one to your collection on the format of your choosing.
Make It Feel Like The Garden Track listing [song length]
- Coming To An End [1:28]
- Make It Feel Like A Garden [3:40]
- She Sits Up So High [2:53]
- Iris (interlude) [0:28]
- Falling For You [4:07]
- Marigold (interlude) [1:03]
- Another You [5:03]
- Dahlia (interlude) [0:42]
- Hurts [4:04]
- I Wanna Love You [3:57]
- Arabella (interlude) [0:26]
- Lately (feat Brian Aubert) [5:04]
- Violet (interlude) [0:55]
- Everything That Isn’t Mine [4:57]
- Will She Know Today [3:48]
- Somebody [4:44]
- Madison [4:09]
- Coming To An End Part II [0:43]
Total runtime: 52:11
I’ll always advocate that you take the time (to listen to every album in its entirety. The process with Make It Feel Like The Garden from start to finish will take you just under an hour. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
Eliza & The Delusionals site is linked right here. And their linktree if you prefer that look instead is here!
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
