When then 16-year-old Sydney singer Jessica Cerro uploaded her first recording of Anyone But Me to triple j Unearthed back in 2012 the whole Unearthed team was floored by the strength of the songwriting and charmed by the hooks and bounce that Cerro has pulled off so effortlessly at such a young age. So impressive was Jess’ debut that we made her a finalist in Unearthed High that year among an impressive cast of peers including Tyler Touche and eventual winner Asta. Following the success in 2012 Cerro’s finished school all while continuing her songwriting, recently emerging under the new guise of Montaigne.
The transformation to Montaigne seems to be a natural progression from Cerro’s early recordings with the same full-voiced and bold pop songwriting that won us over to begin with paired with really lush studio recording. The first taste of Montaigne’s debut EP has arrived in I’m A Fantastic Wreck, a dramatic offering stamped with Tony Buchen’s crisp production. Boisterous vocals climb above the clatter of tumbling pianos and wonky percussion crashes. It’s busy, yes, but it’s done artfully and with plenty of class. It’s an impressive announcement of what’s ahead for Montaigne and we’re pretty stoked to have her reigning as the triple j Unearthed feature artist all next week.
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Reporting from inside the Australian music business since '94.
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