Beloved Naarm band HTRK return with their 5th album, Rhinestones. With a pivot towards gothic country, the genre-averse duo of Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang, present the most stripped-back collection of songs in their career to date.
In contrast to the dubbed-out and murky synth pads of Psychic 9-5 Club and the cohesive, pop-oriented form of Venus In Leo, HTRK manage to retain all of their trademark magic and moody sophistication through this collection of sparse, finger-picked ballads.
In an ethereal haze, Jonnine Standish’s hushed and poetic lyrics unfurl with more prominence than ever before, recounting dreams and ruminations on the beauty of friendship.
Rhinestones presents HTRK, in their most bare and sentimental incarnation. Its title – inspired by a baby blue Texan star brooch gifted to Standish one New Years Eve – reflects the duo’s belief that even “cheap keepsakes can be more valuable than diamonds“.