Garry Farrow

The Red begins appropriately with a lavish taste of what's to come - both in the context of this beautifully-packaged EP and in Plum Green's inevitable musical career. The budding artist, currently based in Auckland, slips straight into her evocative siren song on the opener Lisa. Plum delivers the track's opening lines with a tone of fear and grief, exemplifying the distinct gothic undertones that appear throughout the record.

But her voice changes to one of warmth and hope, with a welcome harmony from Duncan Nairn of Keller Kinder, as she progresses into the chorus - "Lemony walks up to her house with a jar marked with her name / I would do almost anything to see her once again". This effective juxtaposition of light and dark and consequent acknowledgement that one cannot exist without the other sets the great tone for the rest of The Red EP. Simultaneously, the gently insistent acoustic guitar progressions keep things moving ever-forward.

In My Tree contains minimal instrumentation and Plum's sweet refrain serves to emphasise her quite-frankly-adorable traditional accent and allows her to deliver darkly cheeky and playful lyrics. "I'm not an invalid, I can walk on my own / Even with his fun handcuffs holding me down", she sings, almost with an audible smile.

Benny Profane gives a prominent baritone backing vocal in Nothing Faces On, making Plum's voice seem to comparatively soar higher and higher with no limits. During the dark acoustic piece The Red Of Infection, her intimate delivery of the line "My darling, forgive me" causes as much of a well-up of emotion in the listener as the lyrics contain.

Nymph-O makes for an outstanding closer. "Clever me, I tricked you / Through the hole I kicked you / Well at least I left a warning", states Plum, as if to imply that however cute she may be, she's also certainly not a woman who deserves to be understated. The Red EP as a whole stands as an example of this. There is so much to look forward to from Plum Green, both of the light and of the dark.

Ania Glowacz

There is something very wrong with this release – it’s only an EP! Plum Green has created a bit of a mythical persona, claiming to be ‘the daughter of a jazz-singing Parisian showgirl and a saxophone-playing Jewish intellectual’.

Legend aside, Ms Green is a truly gifted singer and songwriter, and her second EP (thankfully she is next working on a full album), is strong from the outset. The musical accompaniment is acoustic and very minimal – stunning both in simplicity and power. Unfair to compare to other singers, but fans of PJ Harvey and Fiona Apple will be thrilled. This is immediately engaging, even with minimal musical accompaniment. Charming, beguiling and very enjoyable to listen to.

Recorded with the help of Tenpenny Hound Tyler Burke, some in a studio and the rest in his bedroom with the window open on a rainy day – this is haunting and bittersweet music. Plum Green is not just another singer/songwriter, but a true artist (with a fantastic voice), making music with a purpose beyond simple entertainment. Gothic folk with an edge. Stunning.

Kyle Seyb

Beginning with the haunting 'Lisa', imagine Jan Hellriegel recording back in the early 80s with The Clean on a 4-track tape recorder, like a lost Flying Nun classic, with just the right amount of room reverb. Definitely a standout track, with little bits and pieces seamlessly interwoven into the arrangement, cadences rise and fall, all the makings of a classic.

'In My Tree' - exquisite fingerpicking, evokes psychedelic folk classics such as Linda Perhacs 'Parallelograms' from 1970. Beautiful vocal, like effortless birdsong, enchanting chord progression choices, works very well as a solo piece. There is a freshness and pastoral natural quality to the recording, no overdubs, great execution.

'Nothing Faces On' - somehow this song manages to be catchy yet mournful at the same time. The male backing vocals are menacingly wonderful, recalling early Headless Chickens. It has a swampy murkiness kicking along like a post-apocalyptic mule. This is my favourite song on the EP.

'The Red of Infection' - a tender song with delicate fingerpicking work and a sultry soothing vocal performance. Bristling firelight and the morning sun envelops its calm nature.

'Nymph-O' - this song also recalls Jan Hellriegel, especially with the chorus lines, but takes the song on a swirling psychedelic turn. It comes alive just as any closing track rightfully should!

The Red EP is cohesive and unmistakibly 'New Zealand' when you hear it, yet it translates to an international environment, whether it be a folk setting, indie, psychedelic, or even rock - the songs are presented almost in skeletal form and it would be intriguing to hear how they would sound with a full rock band and a mainstream full-on production style behind it. Thankfully, I'm glad Plum has opted to record the songs in this way and not risk dilution from the demands of commercial media. Once surrendered to that path, all intimacy is lost, all impact transferred to the hands of loud snare drums and overdrive pedals. There is none of this on 'The Red' and it is a refreshing listen in this age of compression and Autotune. Looking forward to future releases, The Red is for sure a gem of promise.