Misericorde by Tiny Little Houses [8/10]

Melbourne band Tiny Little Houses burst onto the scene with the distinctive semi-sneering vocals of frontman Caleb Karvountsis declaiming on the Pixies-like stunning track “Garbage Bin” off the band’s debut album. It was a stunning debut. Three years on, “Misericorde” is less bile, more storytelling, but the band’s derivative-yet-distinctive lo-fi mix of fuzz and catchy melody has arced up a notch. Maybe you need to remember 90s indie to immediately fall in love with Misericorde but even if you need some time with the songs, eventually their pull will work magic. Not one of the thirteen tracks is filler, each deserving rotation. Highlights include “Richard Cory” with its stunning lyric describing how he “one calm summer night put a bullet through his head”; the album’s closer, the majestic “Holy Water”; and spiky “Car Crash.” If Tiny Little Houses keep progressing like this, the next release will be a classic.