Alex Lahey: B-Grade University

Scott Wallace
3rd Aug 2016

"If I was an Ivy League kind of girl, do you think that they would give me more shifts at work?" Melbourne singer-songwriter Alex Lahey sings on "Ivy League," which opens her debut EP B-Grade University. The track is full of the kind of self-deprecating humour you may expect from an artist who lists "Blue 1999 Toyota Corollas" under Personal Interests on her Facebook page, and anyone with an Arts degree from a "B-grade university" knows exactly what she's talking about. 

Lahey brilliantly taps into the anxieties and dilemmas faced by most people her age, but with a laugh and a sneer. Throughout the EP she comes across as the kind of person you'd love to be able to hang out with. The effortless and somehow not-at-all-cliché "Let's Go Out" - "Let's go out and have fun tonight / Let's go out and get drunk tonight" - is shimmery and easygoing, Lahey's unadorned voice sounding like the musical equivalent of a trusted hand on your shoulder.

The sound conjured by Lahey and her band is polished, but still has enough grit in its pulsing rhythms and twisting guitar leads to avoid fading into the pack of generic indie rock. Single "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me" blends angular stop-start guitars with washes of synth that buoy the addictive, compulsively sing-able melody. The track is emblematic of the unflashy but unerringly confident tracks that make up the release. 

Standout track "Wes Anderson" is as wistful and delicately observational as a movie by the titular director, and sardonic closer "L-L-L-Leave Me Alone" is coloured with some deceptively cheery acoustic guitar. With tracks like these, Lahey transcends the inevitable comparisons to peers like Courtney Barnett, and presents a strong and compelling musical identity.

The EP is only seventeen minutes long, and it feels far too short, which is very promising for whatever Lahey has up her sleeve next. For now, though, we can just hit play and give it another spin. 

B-Grade University is out now on CD and digital formats.