Anthonie Tonnon has been on a roll in 2017, opening for The Chills during their nationwide tour and performing with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra for ‘Tally Ho 2’ in early November.

‘Two Free Hands’ is his latest release, an EP that points to his developing and changing style – heading towards electronic sounds and beats.

The title track, Two Free Hands, is a testament to this change, his strong, distinctive voice suspended over a backdrop of beats and synthesisers that provide a much more pop setting than if he had been working in the indie-rock template.

The song appears twice, with a remixed version by Jet Jaguar closing. This version is less rhythmic, the minimalist backdrop highlighting the melody and synth line.

Two further songs, The Estuary (with Jet Jaguar), and a reworked version of Railway Lines (originally from his 2016 album ‘Successor’) round out the EP, with the beats-driven version of Railway Lines providing an excellent point of comparison to his earlier indie-rock version – a result of Tonnon working up the ‘Successor’ material live.

The Estuary is a dark, atmospheric track that again highlights his vocal line. ‘Two Free Hands’ features long-term band accomplices Stuart Harwood and Jonathan Pearce, with Anna Coddington on backing vocals.

Production was shared between Tonnon and Pearce.

An interesting diversion into a new sound, this intriguing EP provides a glimpse of the direction Tonnon could well be heading in for his next album.