Few artists embody musical migration quite like Sascha Ion. After cutting her teeth in Perth’s 90s scene with Spank and One Horse Town, Ion’s cross-continental journey through Melbourne and New Zealand has culminated in a fierce return home with her new outfit, The Elements. Their latest single “Creature” demonstrates how geographic restlessness can sharpen both sound and message.
Recorded at Aerial Recording with former One Horse Town collaborator Ronan Charles, “Creature” rides the razor’s edge between neo-alt blues and psych rock. The rhythm section of Liam Coffey (bass) and Andrew Lippiatt (drums) provides a muscular foundation that allows Ion’s years of genre-hopping experimentation to take flight.
The track’s political bite comes through immediately in lines like “Let some madman run the earth and try to end it / Well he won’t be the first,” delivered with the kind of weary conviction that only comes from decades of watching history repeat itself. When Ion demands “Put your money and your intent where your mouth is,” it carries the weight of a veteran performer who’s done exactly that throughout her career.
Most striking is the song’s haunting refrain: “What kind of creature are you?” It’s a question that feels both deeply personal and universally relevant, especially in our current political climate. The “vultures waiting in the wings” imagery adds another layer of cynical observation to an already potent critique.
As part of their EP of the same name, “Creature” marks not just a homecoming for Ion but an evolution. The collaboration with Charles at Aerial Recording brings out the raw energy of the trio while maintaining the sophistication earned through Ion’s various musical incarnations. It’s a testament to how returning home doesn’t mean returning to old habits – sometimes it means bringing back everything you’ve learned and setting it aflame.
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