Jinja Safari - Jinja Safari EP

Jinja Safari
Jinga Safari EP

***1/2

Sydney’s Jinja Safari don’t seem to be the sort of folks to mess around. The band consists of soulfully-bearded sorts Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight, and has been in existence for less than eight months – yet they managed to swing the rather neat trick of winning triple j’s Unearthed Splendour competition, netting them the privilege of opening the festival a few weeks back. Not too bad for a local group that performed its first show at the beginning of May.

Not that the pair are quite the greenhorns the PR line suggests. 21-year-old Knight released a solo album Start late last year, which stood him in good stead for producing the lush, exuberant sound typical of Jinja Safari’s self-titled debut EP. As with recent stuff from groups like the Ruby Suns or Vampire Weekend, Jinja Safari reeks of the influence of Graceland-era Paul Simon, although the spectre of Peter Gabriel also seems to hover at the edge of the firelight… Cue the sound of synthesized pan flutes.

In practice this simply means: tribal beatz, the twanging waft of sitar and delicate arching harmonies that seem to speak of morning light and crisp mountain air – all very North-Coast NSW really. First single ‘Peter Pan’ is a case in point; bells, chimes and handclaps supporting an effortlessly optimistic lyric (‘love has come at last / leave your sorrows in the past / dancing in the rain’).

It’s all very life affirming, to be sure – and it’ll be interesting to see if the fellas can muster up a bit more depth for the long player which is undoubtedly in the works. In the meantime, go see them live – it’ll be a blast.


First published in The Brag, Iss. 376, August 23rd 2010