Spirograph Studies x Garden Seat 7” Vinyl Launch
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 @ 7:30 pm
Doors open at 7:00 pm
In the last few years, Spirograph Studies have been busy developing new material, and in late 2025 they released their third album, Melody Driver. Garden Seat Records, eclectic Castlemaine-based indie label, have partnered with Spirograph Studies to produce a very limited edition record, featuring tracks from Melody Driver on a slick 7” album, available only at this performance.
Cinematic and dream-like, Spirograph Studies sculpt live soundtracks, creating different moods and soundscapes. They use a wide range of musical influences and minimalism to create their genre-bending sound, described as “post-rock, post-jazz”, under the musical leadership of Tamara Murphy. Their music is described as “gorgeous soundscapes…It is not often listeners are invited into something so intricate yet still so accessible” (Hayden Pyke, WritingInCapitalLetters, 2019). Their albums have been shortlisted for Music Victoria awards, featured on The Best Jazz on Bandcamp list, Album of the Week on ABC Jazz and PBS Radio. Their full catalogue is available through their Bandcamp page. https://spirographstudies.bandcamp.com/
Spirograph Studies:
Fran Swinn – guitar
James McLean – drums
Luke Howard – piano
Tamara Murphy – bass
“If there is one quality which most permeates the music of Spirograph Studies, it is
melodic beauty.”
– Eric Myers, The Weekend Australian, July 3, 2022“There’s a lot of subtlety at work on this enjoyable set from the Melbourne-based
quartet Spirograph Studies, and the payoff to that approach are some pretty epic
moments. It’s just as engaging to trace the path of the small, logical steps that lead
up the huge melodic statements as it is to arrive at their destination. Those slow
builds are the album’s winning quality, and border on addictive.”
– Dave Sumner, Best Jazz on Bandcamp List, October 2021“This album absorbed me with its understated movement, subtle colour shifts,
beautiful melodic interaction, and textural approach to music making.”
– Rafael Karlen, The Music Trust, July 27, 2020“Spirograph Studies is a wonder – a muted sprawl of acoustic and electric
instrumentation, a deep and evocative listen.”
– Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival, 2019“…original and fascinating music…”
– Rob Kennedy, Canberra City News, August 17, 2019“…startling originality…”
“…ruminative and minimalist…”
– Eric Myers, The Weekend Australian, August 24, 2019“Spirograph Studies stands as one of Australia’s most innovative modern jazz
groups, known for music that invites listeners into a world of nuance, atmosphere,
and finely woven improvisation. “ – Sydney Con Jazz Fest, 2026