Something They Call Myth – Too: Matheson Bay Sessions (13th Floor EP Review)
From the first hush of finger-picked guitar, Too: Matheson Bay Sessions by Something They Call Myth feels like a night around the fire with friends, music as an invitation and memory all at once. Across four songs it moves from the fading glow of Embers to the slow-burn intimacy of House of Friends, weaving stories of camaraderie, risk, and the bittersweet passing of time.
Something They Call Myth is Clarissa Sherri Zishan Chai who sings lead vocals, plays acoustic guitar and cajón, and produces; alongside co-songwriter Lea Luise Koch. They were joined at Leigh to write and record this EP by Ms. Mia (Renee Mia Trish Caparas Caintic) and Amylia (Amy Wang Xin Yi) who provide additional acoustic guitar and vocals that soften and sharpen at just the right moments. Across this truly collaborative project each distinct voice seamlessly folds into the whole to create an EP of atmospheric folk that feels as alive as the weekend it was recorded.
The EP unfolds from the near stillness of Embers, Travis picked guitar and a low drone flickering like a dying fire. When Clarissa sings “take it real slow” and later “it’s time to let it go,” the arrangement and lyric arrive together, like a single breath. Just as it softly ends a count in of “one, two, three, four”, and bright stop start guitar chords introduce us to Jack. Echoed vocals tell a tale of mischief and dares “Jack’s a liar, we’ll make him try again.” The song is a playful campfire game, the music rising and pausing as if everyone’s watching the next leap.
Next there is the affectionate invitation of Magic Place. The track sways gently, voices trading lines in a call and response that enacts the lyric’s promise to “take my hand, hold on tight… the world’s okay.” This comfort and freedom is balanced by a careful reminder not to “go too far,” .
Finally, House of Friends settles into a slow, bass-rich groove. Guitars slide and echo like the tide as Clarissa, Ms. Mia and Amylia sing of a night in Taupo Bay, “a house full of friends… while the waves rolled in.” It’s a warm, wistful, and timeless close.
The writing is generally strong, and a little polish could give it even greater impact. Refrains such as “the world’s okay” and the trio of male names, Jack, James, Jonny, risk feeling like placeholders in a set otherwise rich with specifics that ground us sonically “…changing songs till Bon Iver came on,” and physically, “Shelter from the rising chill.” Knowing the characters’ relationship to the narrator would help those names resonate with less distraction.
Throughout the interplay of texture and meaning is the EP’s quiet triumph. Words and sound move together, with each song’s arrangement enhancing its narrative arc; three part harmonies swing like lantern lights and guitar rhythms ebb and flow like the tide.
Too: Matheson Bay Sessions is a celebration of presence, with friends gathered, stories retold, keeping one another warm in the small hours. Its gentle confidence and communal warmth make it a record you want to linger inside, long after the last note fades – like the glow that lingers after the fire falls quiet.
John Bradbury
Too: Matheson Bay Sessions is out now.
