“Plovers,” the centerpiece of Australian artist Evelyn Ida Morris’s upcoming final album as Pikelet, is nothing you would expect from a track SoundCloud-tagged “Folk & Singer-Songwriter” in 2019. With its shaky saxophone warbling, meandering quasi-Indian vocal melodies, and unexpected flip-flops that turn the song on its head more than once, the track has more in common with a yet-undiscovered Syd Barrett deep cut than anything Father John Misty’s ever signed his name on.
Dig deeper into the song’s lyrics, however, and the very folk-music trope of popular mythology reveals itself. In parts of Australia, the appearance of plovers is associated with the beginning of seasonal rains. “Better run for cover / though it’s lovely weather,” intones Morris, and the pastoral atmosphere of the song’s intro instantly turns ominous. The dissonance of the arrangement’s jazzy chords follows, culminating in the impression of a song that’s a well-narrated sliver of grandmother’s wisdom, as harsh to hear as it sometimes might be.
Listen to “Plovers” below, and pre-order Pikelet’s Goodbye “green sparkle” cassette, out March 18 on Babyrace Records.