Husky, ‘History’s Door’ – Song Review

On an antipodal corner of the indie rock neighborhood of Sufjan Stevens and Death Cab for Cutie, you might find the fabulously forlorn Melbourners Husky and their ‘History’s Door’ -- a swelling, earnest single as much snuggle as pop song, a campfire tale told in the wilderness of relationships. Cuddle close.

Soft-plucked strings introduce delicate, hypnotic electric folk, the scattershot sketches of quiet, poignant romance. While the pop hooks are there, underneath those "ooh-ee-oohs" is a resigned melancholy marching along with the unassuming beat of the snare. “Heed that feeling in your bones,” frontman Husky Gawenda warns the listener. “Your heart knows you'll never win / Until you're free from him.”

Sad, sweet and catchy, it's this song that's propelled Husky across hemispheres.

The band formed in 2008 around Gawenda and his cousin, keyboardist Gideon Preiss. They were joined by bassist Evan Tweedie and drummer Luke Collins, all part of Melbourne’s uber-cool music scene. The quartet made a song -- which you should be listening to below -- and entered it into an Oz-wide next-big-thing contest. And won.

Since then, they’ve been gathering heaps of momentum. They became the first Ozmen to be signed to legendary indie label Sub Pop. Their debut record, produced by Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, the Strokes) is available now on iTunes -- and they're soon playing gigs with labelmates the Head and the Heart.

What makes their sound work so well is the urgency hidden within the gentleness: "If you leave now you might make it home before the morning light" and finally arrive at "history's door tonight." What a history's door might be is unclear -- possibly ornate, probably large, certainly old. Regardless of carpentry, 'History's Door' is a finely constructed acoustic pop song, one that could even win a contest or two here in the States.

Listen to Husky, 'History's Door'