With this reflective and melancholy debut EP, Melburnian Tom Milek has joined the ever-growing ranks of earnest young folkies telling stories of youthful anxiety. A well-worn path that may be; but Milek isn’t put off and does it better than many of his contemporaries. While the soaring strings are a little overdone at times, there are plenty of appealing vocal melodies and deft guitar touches. Milek has a gentle, almost adolescent voice that sounds best on up-tempo single ‘Vicious Curves’, and his lyrics tell brutally-honest tales of oh-so painful longing. Opener ‘Time Machine’ sees him happy to be remembering his first kiss, but by fourth track ‘Treading Water’ he’s heartbroken and seeking solace in booze. The recurrent downbeat nature of the songs make this more of a Sunday morning than a Saturday night listen, but one nevertheless infused with skill and promise. (Independent)