Photo by Zoe McMahon

As a kid, my parents listened to a heap of Joni Mitchell, Enya, Kate Bush and James Taylor.  I’ve also had my fair share of fan boy moments with the likes of Fiest, Cat Power & Little Scout. So it’s fair to say that in a sense, I’m predisposed to falling for the sounds of Gabby Huber who goes by the stage name of  Maples.

Take for instance what a follower said on her FB page, “There is the generic stuff we listen to when we have guests and then there is stuff like Maples. Maples fits the category that I share with my two little girls to show them that there is better music than what we see on TV and hear in the radio. I quite like this & I know they will to.”. I think this sums up the point that Maples surpasses all barriers such as “what’s cool at the moment”, her music is unrestricted by the race to cut out a new sound in the female vocalist collective. There’s no fireworks, flashing lights or over-enthusiastic synthesizer lines here, just the undulating, sweeping vocals of Huber backed by beautifully arranged piano and distant drums.  Lyrically, Maples stands above the pack,  ”So don’t try to dazzle me / Undress me properly please / So far ahead or behind / But not on par”. The plot thickens, Maples also moonlights as one fifth of Sydney’s celebrated Dead Letter Chorus.

I’m more than impressed with Maples, at the current point in time, I’m not aware of her next shows, but I will be sure to add them to this article when i find out. Have a listen to her track ‘I Have Heart’ below, be sure to head to her Facebook page to hear her other track ‘Oil and Water’