Words by Emily Hollitt
The Gold Coast’s Mimi Bailey is an artist we are all too familiar with here at Good Call Live. We’ve followed her from her country roots, collaborating with legends Bill Chambers and Brandon Dodd before moving more into Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ and ‘Lover’ era-style pop. With glistening pop singles such as The Last Time contrasting more folkier, emotional tracks like Letters to the Sky (For Ryan), Mimi has demonstrated over and over again her versatility as an artist and a songwriter. Next, she wrote Technicolour, an absolute BOP which she produced with Adelaide-based artist and producer Harley J.
From the age of 5, Harley started playing the drums, inspired by a variety of RnB and pop music he discovered. As he grew older, he hit his emo phase, listening to a plethora of punk and pop punk bangers, encouraging him to pick up and learn the guitar. With music such a consistent and integral part of his life, his inspirations as well as ability grew with him. Now, he credits his writing and production inspirations to acts ranging from Beyonce to Paramore, Michael Jackson to Coldplay and more.
Harley and Mimi quickly discovered that together, they are an unstoppable, musical force. Blending Harley’s ear for production with Mimi’s lyrics-based writing, they brought the best of what they had together to bring us 4 beautiful tracks in their ‘This July’ EP. The folky EP tells the story of love and loss, detailing two people who are deeply in love, trying to hold on as their love slowly fizzles out.
Gentle finger-picked guitar opens the record in first track Hold Me. “Our hands come together in the quiet of the night. Sweet nothings in the streetlight.” Opens Harley J. Mimi Bailey’s voice creeps in gently, adding soft harmonies to his voice in the pre-chorus. Both voices take centre stage in the chorus as they sing “The world moves more slowly, when you hold me”. Mimi sings the second verse, as the minimal percussion grows as the song grows. “In the end it’s me and you. This is such a beautiful thing, when you hold me”. An airy guitar solo progresses the song into its final chorus. The song perfectly captures comfortable, long-term love; a perfect snapshot into loving someone wholly. The acoustic guitar is heavier in the opening few bars of July. This track is a reminiscent tribute to a past fling. With a focus on visuals, the track outlines dancing around campfires and beating the monotony of everyday life by fantasizing about this past fling, with both Mimi and Harley looking back on their romance lovingly. The production is fuller and the vocal performances are stronger; each singer perfectly replicating a longing tone with each and every line.
“It was a kiss me at red lights kind of love, for me it was enough” opens Mimi in Perfect Crime. The melody in this track is the strongest on the record; constant and wordy, the vocal delivery perfectly replicates the feelings of anxiety and self-doubt that accompany loving somebody, almost rambling. “What if we’re soul-tied? A pre-written demise? What if the worst of me is the best of you?” they sing. The overall sound of the song is more country than the rest of the record, with slightly heavier percussion. The greater movement in the instrumentation perfectly compliments the softness of the vocals. “Loving you is the perfect crime. I’ll gladly do the time”. Depicting both parties in the relationship buying time for a love that will inevitably end, the track details the beauty in holding on. “Baby my oh my. Look at you. I’ll keep your hand in my hands, the whole night through” sing both Mimi and Harley together in perfect harmony over gentle, solo finger-picked guitar to open final track Chosen You. With only a short 1 min 23 second run time, the track is the perfect ending to a beautiful album. They stay in harmony throughout, their voices fitting together perfectly as they softly sing over the never-changing guitar part. It’s sweet, and simple, as any love should be.
The EP ends here, leaving you with a feeling of warmth. ‘This July’ can act as a comfort to those who are falling out of love, or who have lost a love that they treasure, as a way to remember the good and find solace in the loss. It also feels like being in love; capturing every step of the romantic timeline so perfectly.
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