wtf iz in dis Interviews
Clowns...................................................................................... 3 Georgia Maq............................................................................. 6 Oslow..................................................................................8 The Sidekicks..........................................................................10
Book Reviews
This Changes Everything - Naomi Klein; Princess Bari - Hwang Sok-Yong; Museum of Things Left Behind - Seni Glaister..........................13 The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro; Touch - Claire North; In The Light Of What We Know - Zia Haider Rahman; Amnesia - Peter Carey.............................................................15
Record Reviews
Sometimes I Sit... - Courtney Barnett; Pheromones - The Hard Aches; Bachelor Pad Is For The People - Bachelor Pad; Bofolk & Friends - Bofolk Ballico;...............................................16 Tennis - Late Nights; Blossom - Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes; Divorce Year - ThinLips; Split - Empire! Empire!/Joie de Vivre.........................................17 — 2 —
CLOWNS CLOWNS Hey! First off could you please introduce yourself, and your role in Clowns?
Hey readers, I’m James and I play bass in the band and occasionally do zine interviews.
You guys dropped Bad Blood earlier this year. Having already established yourselves across the nation on I’m Not Right, did you have any particular aims with this record?
Well we wanted to make a record that was superior to the last. If you’re out there making music and not striving for it to be better than your last efforts, then why are you bothering, I always ask. It really sucks when bands put out a record that you can tell a lot less time and effort has gone into (which sometimes isn’t necessarily a bad thing) and when those lacklustre efforts it reveals itself on the songs that are on the record, it’s always fucking lame. So that was definitely something we aimed to achieve with Bad Blood. We also really strived to kind of evolve our sound by leaving behind parts of our sound that we weren’t entirely sold on anymore with I’m Not Right and manipulate them into something we were each getting more excited about. It’s a lot less fiddly and dicky and a helluva lot heavier and faster in parts which is something we were really aching to do. The catchy power pop elements to the songs were also a lot more thought out and prevalent in parts too which is also something we really aimed for. It’s kinda put us in a cool position now to really take off to somewhere even more evolved on our next record. And by evolved I don’t mean rubbish like Silverchair’s Young Modern but more so the potential to go even heavier and faster, or even more power pop, or noisier, who knows? We experimented a lot with effects pedals and tones a lot on Bad Blood which was another aim of ours to really focus on, and it’s also something you’re definitely going to hear a lot more of in the future.
Even after your first LP you found a pretty substantial fanbase in Asia and have been back a few times. How do the fans and music scene there compare to Australia? The music scene in Asia is awesome, although it’s a massive place and obviously a very broad term. You wouldn’t say that the music scenes in Indonesia is very similar to that of China, but they’re definitely both very cool in their own way. Our South-East Asia tour in 2012 is still one of the coolest life experiences I’ve ever had where we toured Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo all in the one foul swoop. There is definitely an extremely super high level of passion that pulsates through the blood of the kids in south-east Asia when it comes to punk, hardcore and metal. Our friend Rohan has a documentary coming out real soon called “The Other Option” (the trailer is online now) that is going to reveal the sheer craziness that comes with live shows and the heavy music scene over there a lot better than what I really explain with words here. In comparing what’s happening over there to what’s happening here, its pretty difficult. You’re talking about two completely different worlds with people from completely different walks of life. Comparing the two is pretty impossible, but I can say that we really did play some of the craziest and intense shows we’ve ever done whilst over there.
Speaking of touring, Clowns have also been announced as part of Riot Fest in Chicago. That’s massive! You’re playing on the same day as System Of A Down, Rancid, Joyce Manor, GWAR, Iggy Pop and a bunch more. Any particular bands you’re looking forward to catching side of stage?
There’s a little band called Motörhead who you might know that we’re all pretty keen to check out. L7 as well, I’m shaking in anticipation to finally catch live. Chuck in Death, Anthrax, Millencolin,
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The Dwarves, The Damned, The Prodigy, Dirty Fences plus a whole heap more I’m probably forgetting as well. It’s probably the most epic way to kick off a tour ever. It’s going to rule. We can’t wait.
After the fest you hit New York and a few shows across the country before doing a heap in California with Get Dead. What are you guys most looking forward to about touring in the States? When we toured there earlier this year we did it pretty rough, making do with having no money and borrowing gear and bumming rides to places as best we could. As lame as it sounds the thing I’m probably looking forward to most is being able to have a more relaxing experience this time as the Get Dead fellas have been really good to us so far and sorted out pretty much everything we’ve needed sorting out before we get there. Apart from boring shit like that, I guess the beer prices are amazingly cheap, the Mexican food is next level and the people we seem to attract at our shows really like to party, so all of those things as well.
I’ve managed to catch you guys a few times live, so I can attest to this, but you’re pretty renowned for delivering super energetic live shows. How do you guys keep everything so intense during your sets, and do you think it is important for bands to create a physical energy to match their music? Drugs. No, that’s a joke. People often ask us this question and I don’t think any of really have a proper answer for it. I just feel as though If you’re creating music you vibe off, then when you play it you fucking vibe off it. There’s’ no forced energy to our shows, it’s just purely letting the sonic energy of your music and the reaction the crowd are giving you to create the show. That’s a pretty cliché answer, which I’m sorry for, but it’s definitely the truth. And yes I definitely do think its important for bands to create an energy and an atmosphere to their live shows which matches their music, totally. If you go and see a drone band, you’d expect still bodies and eyes to be fixated on the
floor or the walls to create that atmosphere that flows so well with that kind of music. If you go see a disco band, you’d want to hope that the band is dancing just as much as the audience is dancing, and if you go see a chaotic punk band, you want that band to be dishing out some chaos. It’s simple really.
People usually associate Poison City Records with bands like The Smith Street Band, The Bennies, Luca Brasi and acoustic artists like Lincoln le Fevre and Jen Buxton. You have been on the label for two years now, and until writing this interview, I hadn’t even questioned your more hardcore approach to music compared to other bands on the label. Nonetheless you guys obviously feel at home with PCR, but why did you originally choose to work with them? I can totally see why people would view the label that way, and I definitely get it. But what a lot of people forget about is a lot of the bands that were associated with the label before bands like the ones mentioned above were around. If you want to hear some blistering, angry fastcore, label owner Andy’s old band from the early 90’s Fast Times is a perfect example of the kind of roots the label stemmed from. My first two experiences with the label were walking in and buying punk and hardcore records from the store on Brunswick street whilst checking out the old Black Flag and Void posters on the walls, as well as going to that weekender show a few years ago that Extortion headlined, so there was never any sense of feeling out of place when it came to settling with that label, we always knew we were in the right place. The label is obviously extremely diverse and with new bands like joining like Batpiss, Pale Heads, Flour as well as some legendary older acts jumping on board like The Nation Blue and The Meanies, it’s definitely difficult to pigeonhole the label into a certain clique or sub-genre. Which is just one of the reasons why we love it so much.
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Recently Clowns appeared on Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’ Friday segment, where bands are asked to play a cover song as part of their feature on the show. You performed a punk take on Sunnyboys ‘Alone With You Tonight’, that was super tight. Why did you choose this song to cover, and do you guys have a relatively wide-ranging set of influences outside of punk and hardcore? When we were asked to be a part of it, it was never an option for us to not do an Australian song. So we tossed up a few ideas and pitched a certain song from a late 70’s punk band from Perth, which we thought we could do a really cool cover of (if you think about it hard enough you can probably figure it out for yourself), but the folk at triple J weren’t necessarily too keen on it. So we had a think about it whilst driving to Sydney on the Hume for some shows and came up with the idea of doing ‘Alone With You Tonight’ as we felt it translated really well to being sped up and made a little more punk. We were really happy with the
song choice and received some very high appraisal from Richard Burgman, the original Sunnyboys guitarist who actually wrote the song, after he heard it, which was a huge honour. We do consider ourselves music fans more so than just punk fans. I feel sorry for people who are just stuck in one genre of music as it doesn’t take a genius to tell you how much cool stuff is out there. In the tour car you’re more likely to hear us listening to Sleep or Courtney Barnett more than you likely to hear us listening to something that is more of an obvious connection to the style of music we play in Clowns. We all listen to lots of styles of music, but settle on pretty much saying that we’re into anything good, and some shit as well.
Thanks mate! To finish off, what are some local bands you have been into lately? Can’t get enough of the new Party Vibez songs at the moment, their new 7” coming out soon is going to tear minds. You’ve been warned.
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GEORGIA GEORGIA Hey Georgia! How are you? You must be pretty relieved to have completed your nursing degree. Has it been hard to juggle playing shows with doing tertiary education? Hello Olly! I’m good, very relived to be finished, I actually just applied for a graduate position today and it was very scary. It wasn’t that hard, to be honest, but actually it kinda was? I was working four days a week, studying the three other days and playing shows pretty much every weekend. I’m glad that it’s over and I got through it.
Towards the beginning of this year you put out a split 7” with all-round legend Spencer Scott. In the recording process, you decided to go electric. Was it a spontaneous decision or had you been keen to try recording electric for a while? I wanted to kinda level up from acoustic for that record because I get sick of things pretty quickly. It was just a spontaneous decision because I went to my dad’s house and into the studio and there was an amazing 60’s Fender telecaster sitting on the rack of guitar, it wasn’t his guitar though, just a friend’s guitar, and I was like “I wanna play that” and we figured out a sound and then smashed out two songs.
You’ve also been doing some shows electric rather than acoustic this year. How do the two compare, and do you now prefer playing electric?
I find electric quite stressful to play because I’m never sure if it sounds good, and I recently started a band called Camp Cope with two of my friends, it’s my unrecorded songs with a band and I love it so much, and I play electric in that so I’ve been doing it more to get more used to it because I’ve only ever played acoustic guitar.
Recently, you opened a few shows for Tigers Jaw. I know the band are pretty special to you, so it must have been rad. How did people respond, given that you were playing a solo set?
Oh man, I have a Tigers Jaw tattoo and like two other tattoos planned because that band is so fucking important to me. It was such an amazing show and yeah it was pretty weird being a solo act in between two bands but I think it worked. People liked it, I think, I hope.
You’re also doing a set at the Rev as part of Weekender alongside some amazing talents – Jen Buxton, Jess Locke, The Sugarcanes. Last year you played on the acoustic arvo show, but this year there are also a bunch of ‘heavier’ artists playing with you – Clowns, Apart From This, Flour. Why do you think that despite such a variety in artists across the label and festival, it still feels like one big family? I think it’s because everyone is doing their own thing and respecting that, and people are friends with each other despite their musical differences.
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MAQ MAQ What is it like to write music with others rather than as a solo artist? My writing has actually changed since the formation of Camp Cope, I’ve gone back to being loud and screamy and emotional, which is great and cathartic. When I first started playing shows I used to be heaps loud and confident, and then this tidal wave of anxiety slowly crushed me and I stopped that and started writing quiet songs that weren’t so personal because I was so scared of other people’s opinions and didn’t just wanna be some kid with a guitar who yells. But now I’m kinda back into it and it feels really good.
So, can we expect a new release from you in the foreseeable future, either with Camp Cope or another solo record? Although most people will know you through your solo music, you have also just formed a band, Camp Cope that’s been described as ‘flower violence’. Can you give us a little history to the formation of the band?
hahahaha it’s not actually flower violence, I’m not sure what our sound is, the guy at our rehearsal space said we sounded like Japandroids and another person said we sounded like Good Luck, both of which are massive compliments. Well, I’ve wanted to start a band for ages and my best bud Thomo plays drums so we were like “ok let’s find a bassist and start a band”, and one night me and my two friends were getting home job tattoos at the house of the singer of my other band Employment, and his friend Kelly came over and she mentioned she played bass and then I got really like, nervous and asked my mate if he could ask if she wanted to jam sometime and BAM Camp Cope started. It took us ages to come up with the name, Kelly actually came up with it. I like it because it’s endearing.
Well, once we get our shit together, Camp Cope are going to make a record. We’re actually going to record a single tomorrow with my friend for his TAFE course, so that should get the ball rolling a bit.
To finish up, what are some rad local artists you have been listening to lately?
Hmmm, local artists, definitely always Jess Locke and anything with Jerome Knappet, the new Hard Aches record and new Hannahband record. I should listen to more local artists, I listen a lot of Philly bands.
Georgia Maq/Spencer Scott split 7” available now on Lost Boy Records — 7 —
OSLOW OSLOW Hey, thanks for chatting with us today! Could you introduce yourself and your role in the band?
amazing group of people is the best thing in the world. The Parra Haus show was one of the best experiences we have ever had and for so many people to come an enjoy themselves was worth the floor caving!
Earlier this year you dropped a new 7”, No Longer Concerns Me¸ which sold out pretty quickly. Were you surprised by the response?
Oslow have landed support slots for artists as varied as Title Fight, Smith Street, Citizen and Erica Freas in the six months or so. Do you feel that the band itself draws from an equally diverse range of influences?
Hey Olly! Thanks for asking us! My name is Dylan, I play bass and sing in Oslow.
Absolutely amazed! We have been so lucky as a band and for people to be so supportive is overwhelming.
To accompany the release, you went on tour with a bunch of mates. Was every show as crazy as the now infamous Parra Haus show, where the foundations literally fell apart whilst you played? Getting to play any show at all, especially with bands and organised by people who have become great friends, is extremely humbling. Being able to travel most of the country, playing music, is a dream and sharing that experience with such an
We all have varied influences but a big one we share in common is title fight. We all tend to bring our own personal musical experiences to the band but having a few common influences has been really important for us when it comes to writing.
As well as playing Weekender, you guys will be opening the Sydney I Love Life Fest. What are you most excited for in terms of these two festivals? It’s hard to say what we are most excited about because both shows are super
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overwhelming. Getting to share the stage with such influential international and local acts is going to be insane! Cannot wait to play in Sydney with Hannahband. Such an important band and both Nathan and Marnie are insane musicians.
Like the notorious FEST is for America, Weekender is a sort of ‘family reunion’ for many people in our music scene. Do you think events like Weekender are important and necessary in sustaining the scene and bands it supports? Super important. In Sydney spaces like Blackwire Records, Beatdisc, records and the Red Rattler, represent this support where we are from. Being invited to be a part of Weekender is such an honour as we are aware and have experienced the insane influence Andy and everyone at Poison City Records has had in supporting music scene in Melbourne.
I know Beatdisc had their 20th birthday in August, and that Pete is a close friend and mentor for the band. Has his support encouraged Oslow to push to heights greater than perhaps you previously thought the band would reach? Pete is one of the only reasons why we are still a band and play the music that we do. Having a space like Beatdisc, where we could hang out, go
to shows and be exposed to music we never would have heard before has been super significant in us being excited about playing and writing music.
It’s been just over a year since the release of the Days Are So Bright Now EP. Looking back on that release after a year of playing shows, what is your perspective on it, and is there anything you would want to change about it?
This past year has been the best year of my life. All I want to do is play shows and write music. We have been extremely lucky in getting to know so many amazing people around the country and play with our favourite bands and have our minds blown by bands we witness for the first time. I wouldn’t change anything about it. It’s been amazing.
Having several EPs under your belt now, can we expect an LP in the near future?
We are currently in the process of writing what will hopefully be an LP, but I definitely cannot make any promises!
Thank you so much for your time! One final question – could you share some local bands you have been playing on repeat in the last few months?
There are so many bands, but these are the ones I’ve been listening to lately: Seahorse Divorce, Oxen, Lapse, Hannahband, Make More, Deafcult, Employment and Burlap.
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THE THE
Hi! Could you please introduce yourself and your role in the band?
satiated in terms of response or feedback, maybe needy in fact, but I do feel great anytime people feel anything better than boredom from our art.
It seems like this year has been a bit of a whirlwind for The Sidekicks. Having dropped your second record, Runners In The Nerved World, in January, you guys have been going nonstop touring America, Europe and now Australia.
It seems you guys have fully embraced the ‘indie’ sound found on Awkward Breeds, and created an overall more refined release. Was this a conscious decision by the band, or was it a more organic shift?
I’m Steve, I play guitar and sing.
That’s right, it’s been awesome. Feeling very lucky to be able to see so many places and be welcomed by such cool people.
Overall the record has been very well received. To be frank, it has been at the top of my ‘Record Of The Year’ list since I picked it up after seeing you guys play in Washington, DC in February. Has the response surprised you, or did you feel you were on to something special with this release?
I’d say we consciously pushed ourselves to do something we felt was new, although in the grand musical scheme of things it’s not too far off from stuff we were doing in 2009, we just got better at it maybe. I think bands always feel they’ve changed more than they have from release to release, but maybe that’s the mental trick to being excited about what you’re doing; just changing things enough to evoke the energy a song demands.
I hope people like it, I feel really happy with the way it turned out sonically and I worked really hard on the lyrics and made sure I was really getting at what I wanted to say. The artist is never
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SIDEKICKS SIDEKICKS I’ve seen quite a few people highlighting the influence of Band Of Horses over this record, particularly given that you guys recorded with Phil Ek who did their first three records. What was it like working with Ek, who has produced some huge albums in the last two decades, and how was this different to your previous studio experiences?
Well I will clear the air and say Band of Horses were not an influence on this record any more than the fact that the drum tones on their first record Everything All The Time is part of why I thought Mr. Ek would be a good fit for us. That being said, working with Phil rocked. He is a pro of pros, just very locked in to what he wants out of a recording project and if it’s not happening, he won’t settle for mediocrity. That’s a bit unsettling for young chaps like us, so when we went in we were stressed out, in a good way. There was a nervous energy of wanting to deliver the goods, so to speak; perform as well we could. This makes it seem like it was some high anxiety situation, which it wasn’t, he was a great hang and a hilarious person. He just cares about his craft, and we do too, so it was a nice collaboration of people trying to make a pop record in the old school rock sense, with warmth but still a lot of sonic depth.
Something you guys have talked about quite a bit before is the punk roots of the band. Musically, I think it’s fair to say that the new record does not have so much of a punk ‘sound’, but it seems the ethos and spirit of the band is engrained in DIY and other attitudes commonly thought of as punk. Do you think your background helped nurture The Sidekicks in the lead up to this record? Yeah our background in punk always plays a role in how we make decisions. The commercial punk nowadays is very rigid and sticks a lot to a predetermined formula, and that’s just uninteresting to me. I don’t want to be afraid to do something because it won’t fit into current punk trends (chorus guitars and Foo Fighters rock songs). So I don’t know, musically we just are trying to do stuff we might like to listen to. I think one thing I hold onto from punk is that you should treat people with love and respect and that a community, when done right, can be a very positive and productive thing. As a band we always try to be nice to the people we have the pleasure of working with or meet and just keep a positive attitude; what we’re doing is a privilege and I don’t want to take that for granted.
Runners… has a really holistic nature. Every time I put the record on, I want to play it from start to finish rather than pull apart individual songs or put it on shuffle. Unfortunately I think this is a less common feature in music nowadays. As a band, did you create the record to be listened to as one single entity?
Yeah we all listen to records, it’s probably our preferred way of listening to music, so that definitely seeps into the making of our own albums. We’re always conscious of the flow of the albums musically, for it to have a definite beginning and end. I don’t know if we succeeded at it but I like music that has a cinematic quality, where it feels like your immersed in a different time or place. All the songs on Runners In The Nerved World exist in the same place, all the characters interacting with each other.
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It seems that each track tells a story, although perhaps not a linear or comprehensive one across the record. Lyrically, does the record recall personal experiences or does it explore themes more metaphorically?
Thematically, Runners In The Nerved World is about trying to find ways to simulate movement or growth in life once you’re passed the point of just growing up. All the characters find themselves in that position, looking for ways to feel that. Whether that be through chemical means, in the case of the character ‘Summer’, who usually finds themselves at the bar or waking up in a different room than their own; or a song like ‘Spinning Seat’ which explores the feeling of time stopping when stuck in an internet hole, coupled with traveling at the speed of light in a spinning computer chair which actually would slow down time or theoretically make time stop. Either way, it’s about people gravitating towards a means to relive that feeling you get from your ‘first kiss, or your next kiss’. All things ‘running’.
With such a busy year so far, what is on The Sidekicks’ agenda for the rest of 2015? Playing shows in October with my other band Saintseneca and then playing the Fest in Florida. I’m working on the next full length too, I’d like to keep moving.
Finally, could you briefly tell us about music scene in your hometown, and some of your favourite bands that have popped up recently. Columbus, OH has a cool, musically diverse little scene. My favourite is All Dogs who just released an amazing record called Kicking Every Day. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking look inside the darkest parts of people. Other artists include Nasty Habit, Tin Armor, Slouch, Didi, Teeenage Strangers, Couterfeit Madison, & Mary Lynn to name a few.
After extensive touring of America for the first few months of this year, you also hit the United Kingdom with Great Cynics. Having been out here in February, did they share any tales of their travels with you? It seemed like it was a blast from what I heard. They are eternal travellers, the type of people that take new places like that in stride.
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BOOK BOOK REVIEWS REVIEWS This Changes Everything Naomi Klein
If you read one work of non-fiction this year, let it be this book. Klein writes critically and engagingly on climate change in a way that is easily digested. If you are in any way interested in climate issues (and you should be) than you need to pick up this book straight away. Clearly explaining the facts, current issues, battles won, battles lost and what can be done next, Klein ends positively. Despite the lack of action, she believes there is still hope and that the negative impacts already unleashed on the earth can be curbed. Time heals all wounds, but without action there will be no time left. For climate matters, let this book be your hand guide, bible and source of inspiration.
Princess Bari Hwang Sok-Yong
Sok-Yong’s whimsical narrative is based around a Korean parable of the same name and, after many years, has been published for the first time in English. A young North Korean recounts her life in the dystopian nation, before escaping to what she hopes is a better life. However, as with any good story, things do not always go to plan and Bari faces horrible ‘tests’ along the way. Elements of fantasy bring the story to life, with the protagonist able to talk to the dead in her dreams. A stimulating read that brings light to issues surrounding immigration, cultural perspectives and tyranny.
Museum of Things Left Behind Seni Glaister
This quirky debut novel is the perfect holiday read, intertwining relatable characters and problems within an amusing story. Set in the fictional European nation of Vallerosa, which has few visitors each year, a teenage girl from Britain arrives and is mistaken for royalty. Although overdone and cliché in parts, Glaister writes with wit and parody that is lacking from many novels today. What ensues is a lighthearted, but surprisingly insightful, anecdote regarding globalisation, dictatorships, neo-imperialism, feminism and what makes a good cup of tea.
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The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro Japanese authors write in such a beautifully emotive and descriptive way that it is hard not to get sucked into their unrivalled stories. Ishiguro, alongside Murakami, is perhaps the most famous Japanese author in the West, and he challenges himself in his latest epic narrative. Based in Britain after the demise of King Arthur, we follow an elderly couple as they travel across the country to find their son again. Along the way they, somewhat accidentally, uncover mysteries that plague the countryside, helped along the way by a troupe of merry characters, including knights, orphaned children and monks. Given the author’s command over language, this book can be enjoyed by both those who are keen fantasy readers and those who do not usually dip into the genre. Come for the poignant writing and stay for the unique story.
Touch Claire North Using a pseudonym so as to remain anonymous, Claire North is apparently a well-established author who writes very different books to Touch and does not wish to upset fans of her earlier works. This previous experience can be seen throughout the novel, with North introducing engaging characters and a distinctive plotline from the beginning. We follow our protagonist, a member of the small minority of the human population who are born with the ability to ‘jump’ into other people’s bodies on touching them, as she/he/it tries to confront a fellow member gone rogue. For those who like narratives based in the contemporary world but don’t mind a dash of fantasy, this is a fun and gripping read.
In The Light Of What We Know Zia Haider Rahman Without sounding melodramatic, this book could change your life. Not in that it has a particularly enlightening message about ‘being a better you’ or reveals the meaning of life, in fact in some ways it does the opposite. This is Rahman’s debut novel, after holding positions as both a finance banker and human rights lawyer, and one can’t help but feel it is somewhat biographical. Similar in style to the renowned Reluctant Fundamentalist, this novel is far more insightful and encompassing, including topics ranging from the British class system, one’s sense of belonging (or not belonging), digressions into mathematics for a page or two, social commentary on the war in Afghanistan and far more. Hard to describe due to its grand nature, this novel could well be the best one you read all year, for both its literary and intellectual prowess.
Amnesia Peter Carey
One of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary authors, Carey has injected Amnesia with unparalleled levels of sarcasm and parody. The butt of the joke is often left-wing politics, and those who take it way too seriously, but this is also a book that celebrates those on the left. Hacktivists are central to the plot, which in parts acts as a short history of the movement since its inception. It is refreshing to finally read a book based primarily in Sydney and Melbourne suburbs, and Carey writes with such skill that one can almost see themselves walking down the streets in which he describes. This novel will be most relevant to Australians, given the politics, locations and characters encountered, but knowing the author’s status perhaps that is expected.
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Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes Courtney Barnett I Just Sit Australia’s top hidden talent has been found, and damn has she blown up. Barnett has now been on Ellen and Jimmy Fallon, interviewed for Vogue magazine and played at Coachella. Despite being a total indie gem, this LP is totally deserving of all of those mainstream ‘successes’ and more. What else is there to say? If you’ve heard this record, you know what’s up. If you haven’t heard it yet … what’s wrong with you?
Pheromones The Hard Aches Ben David has dropped a whopper of a record, soaked in the heart-on-sleeve storytelling he has become synonymous with. Honesty underscores the record, as David spills his guts on every track. This is some of the Hard Aches catchiest material to date, take it from us that lead single ‘I Get Like This’ will be stuck in your head for weeks. Having gone minimalist as a two piece – a very, very tight two piece – Hard Aches have retained their personality and created a punk record that showcases their song writing prowess.
Bachelor Pad Is For The People Bachelor Pad Early last year, Bachelor Pad established themselves as one of Sydney’s best kept secrets, with the release of their debut LP. Despite being firmly rooted in a conventional garage sound, their latest LP sees the band embrace synths, and boy does it work for them, with vocals and synths take centre stage to other instruments across the release. Tracks like ‘Hate You Too’ and ‘Ever Get The Feeling’, where a more integrated sound is established, clearly show the potential of the band. If you listen to one band outside of your usual genre norms this year, let it be Bachelor Pad.
Bofolk & Friends Bofolk Ballico A few years ago I heard Ballico’s first EP and fell head over heels for his unique voice intertwined with guitar playing, with this release venturing into new territory musically and instrumentally. Opener ‘Done’ features a twangy mandolin that makes you want to dance, whilst ‘Detour Blues’ weaves electric guitar lines under Ballico’s voice. Female vocals provide support on the remaining two tracks, rounding out the release with friends galore. If ‘Faulty’ doesn’t make you smile and singalong, I don’t know what will. Is this Newcastle’s answer to Bob Dylan? Absolutely.
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MUSIC MUSIC REVIEWS REVIEWS Tennis Late Nights The boundary between punk, pop-punk and emo has become increasingly blurred, with bands pulling influences from the back catalogues of all three genres. Melbourne upstarts Late Nights do just this on their latest EP, in the vein of Brand New, Taking Back Sunday and Gold Coast locals Skyway. Each track is saturated with pulsing guitar and drums keeping energy high across the release. The band shines, however, when they experiment and push away from the stereotype, musically on ‘Sorry’ and vocally on ‘Cafeteria’. Singalongs and good vibes abound.
Blossom Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes A return to form for Carter, having ventured into new territory with his band Pure Love after leaving Gallows. Raw emotion pierces every song, from the gut-wrenching vocals to the pounding bass lines. Yet this is undeniably Carter’s project, and he won’t let you forget it, with his pessimistic lyrics taking front-and-centre on every track. He also displays a range of vocals, breaking up his signature screaming with cleaner singing, which only adds to the dimensions of songs like ‘Paradise’ and ‘Beautiful Death’.
Divorce Year ThinLips What a cracker of a debut! ThinLips have burst onto the Philadelphian emo/punx scene, already making deep impressions with their live show, having supporting Hop Along and Cayetana on separate tours in the last few months. Showcasing relatable lyrics, with vocals and guitar that work off each other, Divorce Year contains four incredibly catchy songs. Download now via bandcamp for pay-what-you-want and wait anxiously for another (hopefully longer) release soon.
Split Empire! Empire! / Joie de Vivre Empire! Empire! have long been regarded as the poster child for the emo revival, and have been part of more splits than I could count on my fingers and toes. The two tracks on this split are as refined and nostalgic as ever – nothing revolutionary, but definitely stronger than some tracks on their previous LP. Joie de Vivre have some solid releases in their back catalogue, remaining slightly left-of-centre of the genre, particularly due to their harsher vocals. Both tracks stand out, but ‘April, 2009’ is the highlight of this 7”, layering horns, noodly guitar and vocals impeccably.
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LOST BOY ZINE #6 thank you for supporting LBZ and the community it fosters. huge thanks to james, georgia, dylan and steve for contributing. all photos courtesy of the respective owners. all text: oliver dan-cuthbert triangleshoe@hotmail.com all design: hazel chan latetoo00@hotmail.com
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— LBZ06 • SEPTEMBER 2015 —