Lloyd and The Leftovers - Spin the Wheel (2025) Review: The debut album from Lloyd and the Leftovers joins the recent wave of Australian-flavoured Americana. Hailing from Walyalup on the west coast, their sound leans as much towards indie-tinged folk as it does any strand of country. Opener ‘Fruit and Wine’ is the closest the record gets to a strumming singalong, while ‘Kaarta Koomba’ is as near as it comes to a rocker – though neither track quite sets the tone for what follows. The heart of the album is more whimsical, its frequent tempo changes sometimes unsettling the flow when a little more of that early crunch might have been welcome. Lead single ‘Tried It on Tuesday’ is a case in point: “I say it with a grin, I say it with a smile / Mumble my way through it, wiping tears out of my eyes” as the singer tries to breathe new life into a fading creative relationship. The song closes with a stirringly hopeful sing-along, but nearly stumbles along the way by packing in too many ideas at once. The ballad ‘Why Won’t You Wait’ is a highlight – lonely, emotive, and full of shifting moods as Luke Giglia-Smith moves from regret to threats to pleading, fighting against change as friends and lovers drift through the shadows of his life. By contrast, ‘Toolvest’ struggles to lift the mood: “Here I am / Once again / Scrambling around / Looking for a friend.” These songs might resonate on a cold weeknight in a small club with a few beers flowing, but at times on record they can feel under-worked – promising ideas not quite fully fleshed out. The closer and title track ‘Spin the Wheel’ bursts out after the introspection, its rolling major chords and wheezing harmonica finally striking a brighter note. It’s the most Americana-sounding cut here, carrying an optimism that lingers: “When I get home from the North I’m gonna tell you how I feel / I’m gonna write it all down and I’ll spin the wheel.” A little more of this would have made the album a lighter listen – though perhaps that wasn’t the artistic vision. The final reflection, “I’ve been surrounded by beauty without an open eye / Can I sit beside you for the rest of the night” a more positive take on a day unfulfilled than some of the introspection beforehand. — americanaUK Track List: 01 - Fruit and Wine 02 - Kaarta Koomba 03 - Listen to Invalidate 04 - Something Rainproof 05 - Breathe Says the Sign 06 - Cowboy 07 - Twice in a Day 08 - Tried It On Tuesday 09 - Why Wont You Wait 10 - Toolvest 11 - Spin the Wheel Media Report: Genre: indie-folk Origin: Perth, Australia Format: FLAC Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec Bit rate mode: Variable Channel(s): 2 channels Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz Bit depth: 16 bits Compression mode: Lossless Writing library: libFLAC 1.3.0 (UTC 2013-05-26) Note: If you like the music, support the artist