Sheppard herds in a new era of music

Sheppard, an Australian indie pop band, prepared for take off and are now skyrocketing into a world of obsessed fans and fame. A group of six lovable misfits: three siblings, George, Amy and Emma Sheppard balanced out with three unrelated band members- Michael Butler, Jason Bovino and Dean Gordon.

Siblings Amy, Emma and George grew up in Papua New Guinea but then moved to Australia where they began to explore their musical talents. Their roots may have influenced their pacific sound with a bit of a tropical, Caribbean tang.

Along with fellow Australian artists such as 5 Seconds of Summer, Iggy Azalea and Vance Joy, Sheppard has situated themselves on the U.S top charts with their latest single, Geronimo. The band, named the best group at Australia’s Recording Industry Association Awards, has kept their single, Geronimo, on Spotify’s top 20 most streamed tracks in the world with over 700,000 plays per day.

Their debut album, Bombs Away released in July of 2014, presents catchy and tasteful tunes. Although they might not be groundbreaking, the tracks are guaranteed to stick in your head for days.

Sheppard market themselves as a quirky music group. Although one might mistaken them for your run of the mill pop band, their tracks display more variety than your average group with songs containing dulcet choruses and chromatic harmonies.

Sheppard has produced a variety of different sounds; some tracks flavored with a tinge of folk style while others equipped with intriguing elements of indie rock as heard in Something’s Missing. Track number 8, This Electric Feeling, has an exotic and alluring sound with their incorporation of the bongos while other tracks like Smile contrast it with a happy-clap melody. Find Someone has a softer sound and more melodic tempo that give their album a change of pace. It could easily become one of the main album highlights due to its edgier attitude that is not seen in any other track. The vocals are rich and raw which coincide with its intricate lyrics. It gives off unique acoustic-rock-dance vibe compared to most pop songs played on the radio.

The unavoidably catchy single, Geronimo, contains a foot-stomping beat. George and Amy’s vocals exude a unique modulated sound and the song’s climatic and repetitive chorus, thumping drums, and comforting acoustic backbone combine for a pop indie hit and a perfect hearth for the band to expand.

The title references the popular sci-fi British drama, Doctor Who. Geronimo was a Native American friend of the Doctor’s and they often referenced him throughout the show. Geronimo is often used as an exclamation used to express exhilaration, especially leaping from a great height. The lyrics suggest the idea of taking risks together in hope of something better that lies ahead. The chorus of  “say Geronimo” over and over again reassures the idea of jumping into the unknown.

With a flourishing fan base of 96,000 likes on Facebook and 52.4 thousand followers on Twitter, Sheppard is destined to continue their ascent into stardom- you can expect to see much more from this fledging group.

You can find their album on Spotify, purchase it on iTunes or click the link below, which will direct you to their YouTube page.

https://www.youtube.com/user/wearesheppard