The Shifters

Originating in Melbourne, Australia, the Shifters operate as an easygoing lo-fi pop group whose straightforward yet melodic songwriting is delivered through minimal instrumentation that highlights guitars and keyboards, all set to lyrics steeped in understated wit. The sound recalls a fusion of the Fall and the Clean. The members first connected during casual home sessions hosted by singer and guitarist Miles Jansen, after which a string of self-released recordings on various D.I.Y. imprints built local and overseas interest that culminated in their 2018 debut album.

The Shifters took shape in Melbourne’s Carlton district once local music enthusiast Miles Jansen, already playing guitar and singing, began welcoming acquaintances to his residence for informal music-making in 2013. Those repeated gatherings gradually produced a stable lineup of Jansen alongside Violetta Del Conte on guitar and vocals, Tristan Davies on bass, and Ryan Coffey on drums. In October 2015 this configuration issued its first recording, a cassette on Comfort 35 limited to thirty-five copies.

One copy reached the American independent label It Takes Two, which offered the band a single. They supplied the 2016 7-inch coupling “Creggan Shops” with “Captain Hindsight,” the A-side a bleak satire aimed at a well-known Irish Republican Army stronghold. July 2017 saw another 7-inch, this time on the British label Market Square, containing the tracks “A Believer” and “Contrast of Form.”

Rising recognition in Australia and among international independent listeners led to a partnership with the respected American label Trouble in Mind, which issued the group’s first album, Have a Cunning Plan, in September 2018. Produced by Al Montfort, Have a Cunning Plan introduced an expanded roster of Miles Jansen, Tristan Davies, and Ryan Coffey joined by Louise Russell on keyboards and vocals and Chris Gray on guitar and bass.