THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC

Naarm/Melbourne-grown quintet Surprise Chef, comprising guitarist Lachlan Stuckey, keyboardist Jethro Curtin, bassist Carl Lindeberg, drummer Andrew Congues, and multi-instrumentalist Hudson Whitlock, are leading proponents of Australia’s contemporary cinematic funk movement. Recording out of their home base, the College of Knowledge studio in the inner-north suburb of Coburg, the band has built a dedicated international following with their trademark analogue production aesthetic and unhurried instrumental grooves. Drawing deeply from 1970s film scores, library music, mid-century jazz, and vintage soul, Surprise Chef crafts atmospheric, hypnotic instrumental tracks defined by tight rhythmic interplay and subtle harmonic nuance.

Rather than charting radically new territory, Frogs In A Pond, the band's fifth full-length album of languid, small-ensemble soundscapes, refines the band's signature trajectory. Continuing to apply their signature mix of warm analogue recording techniques, minimalist arrangements, and haunting minor-key inflections the album weave retro library music themes into grounded, low-fi funk rhythms. The record thoughtfully explores the dynamics of people occupying shared spaces - a balance of cooperation, conflict, and bliss. The music is rought vividly to life through producer Henry Jenkins’ crisp sonic framing of Stuckey's distinctive guitar, Whitlock’s shimmering vibraphone and guest Leon Michels’ airy flute embellishments. The result is an effortlessly cool, evocative listen.