interview and EP review: munro melano
Munro Melano’s debut EP Running Round is short and sweet – but it’s the kind of short and sweet that leaves you hungry for more and a little dissatisfied that the three-track EP wasn’t a full-length album instead. Although it’s a quick listen, Running Round does not disappoint. With a slow, steady drum intro and jazzy-piano feel, along with Munro’s warm vocals, the first track ‘Somersault’ makes for a relaxing listen.
Melano is a Melbourne-based pianist, singer-songwriter, session musician, and film composer – and, when there’s time, he likes to sneak in a read of The Hunger Games. Munro has written music for the ‘Music Oz’ 2012 Country Album of the Year, performed at Apollo Bay Music Festival, and is set to release a second EP at the end of the year, followed by a full-length album.
“Most of the tunes [in Running Round] seem to sound a bit nervous about a new relationship, or life, you know? Of just being a bit unsure or cautious about things,” says Melano. “Moving in with my girlfriend was a big thing, and also just having moved from Canberra – I guess it was just some big life changes that inspired it.” The bouncy, second track of the EP ‘Expectations’ opens with a brief chorus of trumpets. The track has a bit of a hip-hop feel, as Munro is half-singing, half-rapping along with the instrumentals. ‘Running Round’, the final track on the EP, is made up of lone vocals accompanied by a slow piano and drum-beat – a calm, somewhat lonely end to the EP.
“Sometimes you’ll be lucky if people get something out of a song, like if you’re able to communicate something that will cause emotions, […] I had a friend say to me that she was recently going through a breakup with a new boyfriend and that Somersault made her really sad, and I felt really sad to hear that! Different people get different things from it, you know?”
When it comes to sound, Melano can be likened to artists such as Paul Simon, Fink, and James Blake, mixed in with a bit of piano, hip-hop, and subtle jazz parts. The EP is something you can put on repeat as you make dinner, if you desire a calm, relaxing vibe. Running Round is a bit of a tease. Melano is showing us a glimpse of what he’s capable of, and he’s skilled in the art of leaving us all hanging.
