Image by Leyla Allerton //
Hector Morlet provides this weekend’s essential listening.
Are bedroom producer, multi-instrumentalists from Perth destined to always be compared to Kevin Parker? Maybe… It’s clear there are some parallels between Australia’s favourite scarf-positive musical export and songwriter Hector Morlet; both are undeniably talented, neither mind a bit of falsetto over a bit of funky chillwave, and both are on a mission to contemporise and celebrate sounds of decades past. For me though, Hector Morlet is more approachable, authentic and, simply, fun.
His debut record Variety Show weaves through genres with ease, swaying between jazz, 60s pop, and sexy lounge sounds over the course of 11 tracks. Repeating motifs, lulling grooves, and ethereal vocals make the album feel like a sunny dream, as if you’ve just stumbled into a groovy live gig somewhere where time stops as you bop along. It makes sense given Morlet’s unusual inspiration behind the album:
“During July and August 2022, I hosted a weekly show called ‘The Variety Show’ at Mojos in North Fremantle where I aimed to showcase acts you don’t usually see alongside bands in pubs,” Morlet says. “Over nine nights, the audience watched a magician, a ventriloquist, a fire twirler, poetry, sound art, a sad clown, an anime theme song cover band, an Irish jig band, a modular synthesist and a veggie hotdog eating contest.
“These acts were accompanied by stellar musical acts such as Noah Dillon, Jack Davies, Smol Fish, Butter, Drea, Claudie Joy, Mia June and Ken Paolo. The experience of organising these events had a huge impact on my practice and understanding of my writing. I consider the nine week residency and this album part of the same broad brush stroke.”
It’s early days to be calling out a favourite track on Variety Show, but there’s something fittingly alluring about the outro of ‘The Moth’ that I keep wanting to come back to. I have a feeling that after multiple listens little gems will continue to reveal themselves.
Dive into the LP above and head here to follow Hector Morlet on Instagram.
