Before my first listen to tracks by 18 year old singer songwriter duo Charlie Thorpe and Josie De Sousa-Reay, otherwise known as Dash and Will, admittedly I am expecting to hear something that is somewhere between bubblegum pop and teenage angst. After my tenth listen (and still counting) I am surprised to discover that Dash and Will are neither of the two.

The thing is that Dash and Will present a somewhat deadly combination. The subject matter of the lyrics of their songs is what one would think ‘typical’ 18 year olds would think about or want to sing about: girl likes boy (‘Pick You Up’); or girl contemplates breaking up with boy (‘Growing on Me’). But what is not ‘typical’ by any means is the execution of these lyrics - the gloriously flawed catchiness of their melodies, the tight harmonies, the matured rasp in their voices, the simple, playful chords. And yes, these girls can play guitar.

Dash and Will hit the road playing gigs all over Australia as soon as Year 12 was over and their music possesses a mature pop song writing sensibility that is way beyond their teenage years. A refreshing take on what young Aussie pop musicians can offer i.e. a thousand times more genuine and better than any of the Idol releases, they take you from playground flirtation with ‘Pick You Up,’ to empowered break up song with ‘Growing on Me,’ and finally to ‘Stranger,’ a matured melancholic musing on heartbreak (and my favourite track).

Yes, they are young, and yes, it is throw away pop, but that does not matter because this is young, throw away pop at its purest and best. Dash and Will is a fresh breath to the Australian pop music scene and they are currently in the studio recording their debut album. Check out their www.myspace.com/dashandwill or www.dashandwill.com and have a listen before the rest of Australia does.