Eliza & The Delusionals - “Just Exist”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Middle Kids, HAIM, Snail Mail

Converging alternative and breezy indie rock, Eliza & the Delusionals have quickly achieved a mature and cohesive sound leading to their sophomore EP A State of Living in an Objective Reality due this March. With a classic guitar/bass/drums/keys lineup, the Australian quartet tightly compose catchy numbers like breakout “Just Exist”, a dream pop track embedded with mid-tempo rock melodies and rhythms. Even though delivered in a melancholy tone, the song’s chorus is instantly catchy and memorable, a perfectly constructed four minutes of comfortable and building passion. The energetic coda of “Just Exist” is a sound that bleeds into the other early single from A State of Living in an Objective Reality “Half Empty Girl”, a full alt rock track that sounds just as cohesive as the more spaced-out nature of “Just Exist”. That balance of soft and driving is a component that threads through Eliza & the Delusionals’ early material, but these latest singles are significant leaps in songwriting and togetherness from a band armed to break bigger throughout 2020. (Kevin McStravick)