Fusing pop sensibilities with ethereal folk is Larissa Agosti, a Melbourne singer songwriter who writes and performs under the alias of Gosti. ‘Boy’, the second single off her debut LP The Travel Tree, is a nostalgic exploration into youth and the loss of innocence. Gosti complements her haunting lyricism with an orchestral crescendo of strings and acoustics. The minimalism of the instrumentation intertwines perfectly with the confessional and sombre wordplay. The co-existence between the bright melody and the dark lyricism validates the artist’s technique of manifesting versatility into the song, its light and dark elements pushing the umbrella of indie folk in a new direction. With a repetitious chorus, ‘Boy’ resonates nicely with its listener long after its three and a half minutes.
Just like the song, the official video for ‘Boy’ finds its beauty in its minimalism. For three and a half minutes, a girl, one we presume to be Gosti, is seen drawing a picture of a bicycle and then proceeds to write snippets of her lyrics all over the design. The scene is constructed in fast forward, symbolising the brevity of life, of youth. The bicycle is representative of travel, just like her debut The Travel Tree suggests. In a more abstract light, the bicycle also epitomises the cycle of life, the inevitable transitions and transformations of humanity, of what it means to be human. Where the lyricism focuses on maturity and youth, the video clip uses a bicycle to personify the journey of life. The simplistic production is evocative and inspired.
Gosti will launch her second single ‘Boy’ at The Wesley Anne in Northcote on Friday August 23.
