DAVID’S BACK WITH HIS JESS & MATT BELMONT STREET REVIEW

It’s a Monday morning, so what better time for David to bust out his review of Jess & Matt’s new ‘Belmont Street’ EP?
What do you get when you put a cute couple with great vocal chops together with the ‘X Factor’? Jess & Matt is what!
The Sydney based duo first made their presence known when they featured on TV talent juggernaut in 2015 under the wings of their mentor, Guy Sebastian.
Fast forward to today and we have their first taste of original material, albeit with some iconic songs mixed in.
One of the challenges this talented duo faces is to understand where they belong in the complicated world of the music industry in Australia. Dominated by big foreign names (Ed Sheeran, Adele, Katy Perry), air space is hard to come by. And while the pair is undoubtedly talented, this EP hasn’t helped to solidify their desire for chart domination.
I’m a big fan of these two and they have a lot of support in their former mentor Guy Sebastian, who posts his support for Jess & Matt to his social media followers.
Original track “Sydney to Me” is a nice ode to a city they love. Picked up by the tourism board for NSW (Destination NSW) it was officially launched on Australia Day. It’s a great sentiment for a great city. But sadly, it hasn’t set the charts alight.
Every other track here is a cover of iconic Australian tunes to tie into their campaign with Destination NSW. This is where things go downhill for me.
‘To Her Door – Sydney From A 747’ is nice enough, but is fairly cheesy and is what one would typically consider a solid album track.
‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ (a cover of the Tame Impala track) is a great choice and I really enjoy listening to it, but for the masses, it feels likely to be picked up by grocery stores the country over, what with its laid back feel.
It’s disappointing to see artists so talented not get the support they deserve. The landscape for new artists in Australia is a tricky one and without a string of breakout hits lined up, it’s difficult to remain at the forefront of audiences.
Jess & Matt deserve all the success in the world and here’s hoping they have something exciting in the pipeline for 2017.

VERDICT : 3/5.
MUST LISTEN : Sydney To Me, Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.

 Australia's first stop for pop!