There’s a special kind of magic in records that feel untouched by compromise, and ‘Underground Potato’ has it in abundance.
Created entirely at home by Geelong artist Carly O’Dwyer under her Moons Poet moniker, the album is full of the loose edges, intimate details and spontaneous decisions that often get polished out of more conventional studio releases. Instead of chasing perfection, the artist trusts her own instinct, and that gives the record a wonderfully immediate personality.
Even the title says plenty about the artist behind it. ‘Underground Potato’ is playful, odd and completely memorable, tying together her status as an independent musician with her love of gardening. There’s a simple charm to the metaphor too: just as potatoes have to be dug from the earth, some of the most rewarding music requires a little searching beyond the obvious.
Drawing inspiration from the emotional openness of Joni Mitchell, the hazy melancholy of Mazzy Star and the raw individuality of PJ Harvey, she creates music that feels deeply personal without becoming closed off to those listening in. Love, mental health, politics, healing and resilience all move through the album, but she avoids forcing those themes into neat explanations.
‘Firehorse’ is a particularly striking example of that. Built around ideas of courage, rebirth and forward motion, the song transforms the Fire Horse into a symbol of survival. It captures that moment when hardship has not disappeared, but something inside begins moving again.
Recorded in a spare room, the album carries the unmistakable character of DIY music created without outside pressure. There is no sense of her second-guessing what a track is supposed to sound like. Ideas arrive, develop and are allowed to retain their natural shape at every turn.
There’s also something genuinely refreshing about hearing an artist so willing to trust the process. ‘Underground Potato’ doesn’t need excessive production or expensive surroundings to make an impression. Its appeal comes from personality, honesty and the feeling that Moons Poet is creating exactly the music she wants to make.
Warm, strange, vulnerable and full of quiet determination, ‘Underground Potato’ proves there is plenty of treasure hiding beneath the surface. You just have to be willing to dig.