Sydney’s The Falls Head to NYC & SXSW

It’s week five on the grass clippings global tour and things are splendid Down Under. Much more on the way from here, but I’ll start with this…

Last week I met up with Melinda Kirwin and Simon Rudston-Brown, the members of the Sydney-based indie folk pop duo The Falls. Following last year’s release of the band’s debut EP, Hollywood (Amazon MP3 & Bandcamp), The Falls co-billed the Australian tours of international folk pop powerhouse Of Monsters and Men and UK-based Passenger, who has a strong following in Australia. The duo will also open up for the newly platinum and double-Grammy-nominated The Lumineers when the band passes through Australia later this month.

But this week, The Falls will embark on its first North American tour, kicking off with a Communion show at Rockwood on Thursday, followed by a stop at The Echo in LA, multiple appearances at SXSW in Austin and wrapping with The Aussie BBQ’s NY showcase at The Sons of Essex later this month.

Melinda and Simon, former non-platonic partners turned platonic partners, aren’t shy about their history and have even made the most of it with their songwriting. You can see traces of relationship battles in “Hey”, my favorite song off the of the Hollywood EP. The Falls’ Lumineers-esque choruses, perfectly meshed vocals, and polished indie folk rifts offer a package that history says will play well in the US and even breakthrough the noise of SXSW. Though we all know that Austin is a bit of a crapshoot, I’m pretty optimistic (and quite hopeful) for my new friends.

For a taste, check out some vids below of “Home” and “The Girl That I Love” off of Hollywood, as well as a damn fine cover of CS&N’s “Helplessly Hoping.”