Album review in The Point Music News

Bully Hay delivers the raw and resonant debut album, 'Black Dogs and Songbirds'

Tasmanian singer-songwriter Bully Hay, an artist that fully embraces Australian rock with swooning acoustic adornment, has dropped his debut album, ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’ - a collection of fire and ice songwriter rock, charming and reflective, and given life thanks to production courtesy of the legendary Jeff Martin of The Tea Party.

Rich, lush and vast in tone, ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’ is timeless songwriter rock n roll from Bully Hay; gargantuan in tone (thanks to the magic production touch from Jeff Martin), particularly in the more stadium moments like the absolutely driving and dirty ‘Such Confidence’, yet is able to show plenty of vulnerability in more raw, folk-ish tracks like the title track, and ‘Cinnamon Perfume Cabernet’. The Tea Party influence really pokes through with the mystical, middle-eastern vibes of ‘Arrest The Youth’. Bully Hay has crafted something raw and resonant in ‘Black Dogs and Songbirds’—a powerful, heartfelt album that’s full of depth and intensity, blending rock with purpose without a hint of bravado.

Each song on the album channels their own unique sonic flavours, utilising sounds from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, blended with folk and country flourishes, and some classic Australian rock undercurrents. Bully Hay (aka Jonathon Coleman), isn’t afraid to let the influences shine through, from Paul Kelly and Bruce Springsteen, to Crowded House and Eddie Vedder, as well as Soundgarden and of course, The Tea Party.

Along with Bully Hay and Jeff Martin’s incredible fingerprints across the entire album, ‘Black Dogs And Songbirds’ also brought onboard Paul Pilsneniks (Silverchair, Dope Lemon, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) on engineering, and Grammy Award-nominated Joe Carra (The Teskey Brothers) on mastering duties, as well as sonic inspiration spanning Soundgarden riffs, Rage Against the Machine basslines, Jeff Buckley, Paul Kelly, Powderfinger, Crowded House, The War On Drugs and, fittingly, Jeff Martin’s own band The Tea Party. Opening with buoyant empowerment via ‘Wash Off The World’, Bully Hay bursts into vivid view with heartrending melodics, acoustic flourishes and a glistening sonic reflection of the ocean itself in all of its cleansing and naturally wild beauty. From here, Bully Hay flits between wistful twangs (‘Breathing Out’ and ‘I Can Be Your Lover’), pensive, stripped-back ruminations (‘Black Dogs And Songbirds’), swooning country hues (‘Bushfire Moon’), an indie love ballad that melts and charms with measured simplicity (‘The World Is On Fire But You Look So Great’), potent storytelling set against swelling textures (‘Cinnamon Perfume Cabernet’), as well as injections of Aussie rock, both upbeat (‘Flinders Street Station’). And whether diving headfirst into woozy and heavier territory (‘Arrest The Youth’ and ‘Such Confidence’) or buffeting across the album’s gossamer closing track ('I Know What You’re Saying Love’), Bully Hay not only showcases his dexterous abilities across a sea of different genre elements; he also effortlessly captures the entire gamut of the human existence in 11 powerful tracks.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE