Punk – Page 9 – 7th Level Music

The Death Wheelers crush us with “Divine Filth” on their new single.

Canadian heavy rock instrumentalists The Death Wheelers share a video single for the title track to their forthcoming album Divine Filth via Metal Injection. Watch and share the B-movie ode “Divine Filth” HERE (or on YouTube.) Hear & share the single via Bandcamp.

From beyond the gutter, The Death Wheelers bring you their second album, the soundtrack to the fictional bikesploitation flick that never was: Divine Filth. Drawing inspiration from instrumental rock, proto-metal, punk and funk, the band embalms the listener in their sonic world of decay, groove and debauchery. Surfing the line between Motörhead, The Cramps and Dick Dale, the Canadian quartet uncompromisingly blends rawness and power in their riff fueled compositions. Recorded entirely in 48 hours in a live setting just like in the good old days, this second opus is a testament to what the band stands for: a no BS attitude spiked with a heavy layer of crass. Just like their previous offering, the album is devised to serve as a soundtrack loosely based on a plot synopsis of a B-movie:

It’s 1982. Spurcity is run-down. The crime rate is up and so is drug use. A new kind of kick has hit the streets and it ain’t pretty. DTA, a powerful and highly addictive hallucinogenic drug, is transforming its loyal citizens into undead trash. Its users experience an indescribable high, but it leaves them rotting away within days, craving human flesh. No one knows who is dealing this new potent drug, but rumour has it that the motorcycle cult, The Death Wheelers, is behind this concoction. Could this be the end of civilization as we know it? What is motivating this group of psychotic individuals?

The cycle of violence indeed continues with this sordid slab of sounds. So hop on, and enjoy one last ride with The Death Wheelers.

Divine Filth will be available on LP, CD and download on September 11th, 2020 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available at RidingEasyRecs.com.

On The Web: ridingeasyrecs.com

facebook.com/thedeathwheelersband

Keep your mind open.

[It would be divine if you subscribed.]

[Thanks to Riding Easy Records.]

Review: The Chats – High Risk Behaviour

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, that really is the cover of The Chats‘ full-length debut album, High Risk Behaviour. I love that it looks like a gig flyer you’d see stapled on a phone pole somewhere in Sydney, Australia. Don’t let the simplicity of the cover fool you. These three young Aussie punks have crafted a fun record that blasts out of your speakers and has more attitude than several hardcore bands combined.

Lead track, “Stinker,” starts so fast you almost think part of the track is missing. The Stooges-like chords are immediately apparent as lead singer and bassist Eamon Sandwith sings about waking up after a wild party weekend to discover his place is trashed…again. I’m not sure if his bass riffs or drummer Matt Boggis‘ high-hat work is fiercer on “Drunk and Disorderly.” Guitarist Josh “Pricey” Price takes over lead vocals on “The Clap,” which is, as the band’s press materials state, “the closest you’ll ever hear The Chats get to write a love song.”

“Identity Theft” is a tale of woe as Sandwith sings about his identity being stolen while buying drugs on the internet. What’s he supposed to do? Report it to the police? “Guns” is an absolute middle finger in the eye toward U.S. gun culture. “Little Johnny had V.D., but went on a shooting spree. Learned it from the TV, USA let him free. Kids need guns!” Price’s solo on it is particularly sharp.

“Dine and Dash” is about loading up on food and splitting before you pay. “Keep the Grubs Out” is a spoken-word piece (backed by chugging, fuzzy guitars) about a security guard, a manager, and a business owner telling the band (and I’m sure these are direct quotes) they’re not proper social class and / or look appropriate and thus are not welcome in the venue / restaurant / business. The songs ends with the line, “Feel free to come back when you get a haircut.”

“Pub Feed” is a salute to bar food, not to mention one of the hottest tracks on the record. “Ross River” is a song about picking up a nasty infection from people Sandwith has met at shows and pubs. Good grief, that sounds pretty prophetic nowadays, doesn’t it? “Heatstroke” does indeed sizzle. “I discriminate ’em all the same,” Sandwith sings on “Billy Backwash’s Day” – a track about a guy looking for a fight anywhere he can find it.

“4573” is a great call-and-response punk track. The last two tracks on the album are a nice pairing – “Do What I Want” and “Better Than You.” The first is a song about defiant independence. The other has the band claiming they’re better than those who would sneer down at them because at least they’re honest and not trapped by the constant need to impress anyone else.

It’s a record that will make you laugh, cheer, mosh, and hungry. That’s a winner in my book.

Keep your mind open.

[All I want and all I need is for you to subscribe.]

Review: Melkbelly – PITH

Chicago’s Melkbelly have been through a lot since the release of their last album, Nothing Valley (the death of a close friend of the band, for one), but they haven’t succumbed to the pressures of stress, political theatre, or Madison Avenue. They’ve instead channeled that fidgeting anger and restless energy into an excellent new album – PITH.

The album was recorded with a lot of vintage microphones and Moog synths, as well as Melkbelly’s signature fuzz guitars and panicked drumming. Opener “THC” is about trying to make up for past wrongs with a friend, but failing at every turn. The song’s fuzz sways back and forth as James Wetzel‘s drums roll around like a grizzly bear scratching its back. Liam Winters‘ bass on “Sickengly Teeth” is as heavy as a battleship anchor. It’s a song about keeping a smile and speaking nice when you want to be cruel and lash out. Wife-husband duo Bart and Miranda Winters go guitar gonzo on the track.

The first single off the album, “LCR,” follows it, and it’s sort of a response to the previous track. Miranda Winters sings, “Her teeth were coated slick and sweetly, so thick that it was deafening. I cannot hear above the sugar, but I can watch your mouth move.” The opening riffs of “Little Bug” are straight metal and then morph into shoegaze chords. The lyrics are about someone Miranda Winters can’t get off her mind.

“Humid Heart” has Ms. Winters emerging from a hot relationship to find everyone else has left while she was enthralled with her last obsession (“Now nobody I like is left here. No one that I like’s left around.”). Wetzel’s drum fills are particularly impressive on this track. Liam Winters’ bass is the driving force of “Kissing Under Some Bats,” in which Ms. Winters trash talks people who come to shows and not pay attention to the band (among others). The track builds to a wild tidal wave of distortion and hammering beats.

“Season of the Goose” has Wetzel’s snare taking front and center as Ms. Winters sings more lyrics about heat. Heat, humidity, and arid environments are a prominent theme on PITH. Sometimes the heat is so bad that it’s choking (“Now’s the season when it hurts me to breathe. Did I burn you up?”). It’s all allegorical, of course, and we’re left thinking that the heat Melkbelly is feeling is from stress or the oppressive nature of everyone and everything having to be in our faces all the time.

The dangerous guitars of “Mr. Coda” reflect the dangerous nature of the song’s protagonist (“I showed up with a face and a set of walk-myself legs. Damn gams, can you handle this shit?”). “Stone Your Friends” slows down, but just a bit, to tell a tale of feeling uncomfortable around people who are supposed to be your friends.

“Water, water and me. Speak less, but still say a lot,” Ms. Winters sings on “Take H20.” Is she trying to tame the heat she’s been feeling throughout the whole record (and, I’m guessing, the six-month recording process of the album)? She won’t have much luck if that’s the case, because the whole song burns like a bonfire.

The closer, “Flatness,” is perhaps the most enigmatic song on the album. “I don’t have the patience to understand the shape of flatness,” Ms. Winters sings as she wanders through a field high grass and weeds early in the morning. Is she trying to wrap her head around something metaphysical, or a wide open space where a relationship used to be? It reminds me a bit of some of L7‘s slower tracks that bubble with distortion and barely suppressed power.

PITH is an impressive follow-up to Nothing Valley, and that album was already a blast furnace of Chicago garage-punk. PITH is a brick of Black Cat firecrackers thrown into that furnace.

Keep your mind open.

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The Chats drop a new single – “Dine and Dash.”

Australian punk band The Chats will release their debut album, High Risk Behaviour, on March 27th via Bargain Bin Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia. Ahead of their North American tour, which kicks off next month, they present a new single, “Dine N Dash,” and its accompanying video. Following lead single “The Clap,” “Dine N Dash” is fierce, funny, and sweaty. The video, directed by Matt Weston, finds The Chats in an unfamiliar environment, eating a succulent steakhouse meal while embracing the piss poor status of their wallets and outright brazenness to get a decent feed.

“We filmed at Walters steakhouse in Brisbane,” says Josh Price. “It was the best steak I’ve had. Definitely gave the bowlsie a run for its money. No mushy gravy though.” Eamon Sandwith adds: “Ya know you’re in a fancy restaurant when the chips and salad aren’t included.”

WATCH THE CHATS’ VIDEO FOR “DINE N DASH”
https://youtu.be/I3jAJHRW_Yo

The Chats – made of Eamon Sandwith, Matt Boggis, and Josh Price – formed in 2016 while still in high school. Since then, they’ve released a self-titled EP in 2016 and 2017’s Get This In YaEP, and have accrued a fanbase that includes Dave Grohl, Queen of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and Iggy Pop – the latter two who asked the band to open on their respective Australian tours. And despite being the subject of a record label bidding war, they’re releasing High Risk Behaviour on their own label (Bargain Bin Records). It’s indicative of a band that has embraced DIY culture since day one. Their determination to do things “our way” extends to their music, which is why High Risk Behaviour delivers everything you’ve come to love from The Chats – only more of it – and confirms their status as Queensland’s greatest ever export.

To create High Risk Behaviour, the band worked with engineer Bill Gardner in his studio on the Australian coast. It took nearly 18 months to finish and several, quick-paced sessions. “If we’d just done a week and slogged it out we could have had an album before now but we just kept going in there and making newer and better songs so it’s hard to put a stop on it,” says Sandwith.
WATCH VIDEO FOR “THE CLAP”
https://youtu.be/POM_98oi0oo

LISTEN TO “THE CLAP”
https://orcd.co/highriskbehaviour

PRE-ORDER HIGH RISK BEHAVIOUR
https://orcd.co/highriskbehaviour

THE CHATS TOUR DATES:
Fri. April 10 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
Sat. April 11 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre
Sun. April 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Mon. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Tue. April 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Fri. April 17 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
Sat. April 18 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park
Sun. April 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Mon. April 20 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
Wed. April 22 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Thu. April 23 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Fri. April 24 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock at House of Blues
Sun. April 26 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Tue. April 28 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
Wed. April 29 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Thu. April 30 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
Fri. May 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Sat. May 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Epicenter Festival
Sun. May 3 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
Tue. May 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Wed. May 6 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
Thu. May 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Wed. Oct. 7 – Amsterdam, BL @ Melkweg Max
Sat. Oct. 10 – Paris, FR @ Maroquinerie
Sun. Oct. 11 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria
Mon. Oct. 12 – Hamburg, DE @ Gruenspan
Tue. Oct. 13 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Oct. 16 – Southampton, UK @ 1865
Sat. Oct. 17 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Mon. Oct. 19 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
Tue. Oct. 20 – Belfast, UK @ Limelight
Thu. Oct. 22 – Glasgow, UK @ Galvanizers
Fri. Oct. 23 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Oct. 24 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Sun. Oct. 25 – Leeds, UK @ Stylus
Mon. Oct. 26 – Brighton, UK @ Dome
Tue. Oct. 27 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Wed. Oct. 28 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
Thu. Oct 29 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
THE CHATS ONLINE:
https://www.thechatslovebeer.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thechatsband/
https://thechatslovebeer.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thechatslovebeer/?hl=en

Keep your mind open.

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Warish unleash new single – “Woven.”

Southern California trio Warish recently released a new single, “Woven,” and also wrapped up a tour with The Black Lips. “Woven” is available on all platforms.

Hear & share via YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.

Rolling Stone previously hailed Warish as a Song You Need To Know feature HERE.

Warish hit the road this week supporting The Black Lips on the East Coast. Please see all upcoming dates below. Imagine if early, weird Aberdeen Nirvana were crossed with low budget horror-obsessed garage-punks. You’d have sinister vibes with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

Warish formed in early 2018 when guitarist/vocalist and pro-skater Riley Hawk (son of skating legend Tony Hawk) and drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell decided they wanted to try their hand at something more distinct than they’d done previously.
“We wanted to do simpler riffs and a fun live show,” Riley explains. “A little more punk, a little bit of grunge… a little evil-ish.”

Their sound takes cues from a variety of cool underground sounds and twists it all into an energetic and exciting fist to the face of dark fury. Hawk’s effect-laden vocals hearken to 90s industrial monsters Ministry and David Yow‘s tortured caterwaul in Scratch Acid. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Cobain‘s and Buzz Osbourne‘s wiry contortions. The rhythms bash and pummel right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated and the horrors keep coming throughout the band’s uh, warlike assault.

The band’s debut album, Down In Flames, is available on LP, CD and download, was released on September 13th, 2019 via RidingEasy Records. Available to order in all formats HERE.

Keep your mind open.

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Rage Against the Machine announce first tour in almost a decade.

Rage Against the Machine have announced their first full tour in almost ten years, starting with three shows in the American southwest that will benefit immigrant charities. Most of the tour includes opening support from Run the Jewels, and there’s also a headlining spot for RATM at Coachella this year. Tickets are on sale now, and I’m sure many dates (if not all of them) will sell out. Here’s the list:

03-26 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
03-28 Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center
03-30 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
04-10 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-17 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-21 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
04-25 Portland, OR – Moda Center
04-28 Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
05-01 Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
05-03 Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place
05-05 Calgary, Alberta – Scotiabank Saddledome
05-07 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Bell MTS Place
05-09 Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
05-11 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
05-14 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
05-16 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05-19 Chicago, IL – United Center
05-23 Boston, MA – Boston Calling
06-19 Dover, DE – Firefly
07-10 East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07-13 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07-17 Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Bluesfest
07-18 Québec City, Québec – Festival d’Été de Québec
07-21 Hamilton, Ontario – FirstOntario Centre
07-23 Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena
07-27 Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
07-29 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07-31 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
08-02 Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
08-04 Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
08-07 Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
08-10 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-11 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-28 Leeds, England – Leeds Festival
08-30 Reading, England – Reading Festival
09-01 Paris, France – Rock En Seine Festival
09-04 Stradbally Laois, Ireland – Electric Picnic Festival
09-06 Berlin, Germany – Lollapalooza Berlin Festival
09-08 Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena
09-10 Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena

Keep your mind open.

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Fuzz announce first North American tour in five years.

“this is music meant to be played at a volume walls can’t contain. Fuzz’s namesake is no joke, either — this is proto-metal, anvil-head blues-rock, thick like cement about to harden.” – NPR Music

FUZZ, comprised of Ty Segall (drums, vocals), Charles Moothart (guitar, vocals), and Chad Ubovich (bass, vocals), announces a North American tour – their first since winter 2015. The band will bring their rowdy live shows across the states, including three nights at Los Angeles’s Teragram Ballroom and to Chicago’s Thalia Hall, New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg, and more. There will be additional FUZZ-related news in the coming weeks. Tickets are on sale now.

FUZZ Tour Dates:
Wed. May 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Fri. May 29 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Sat. May 30 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Sun. May 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Tue. June 2 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
Wed. June 3 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Felton Music Hall
Fri. June 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sat. June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sun. June 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. June 18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. June 19 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Sat. June 20 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Sun. June 21 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Mon. June 22 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Wed. June 24 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Thu. June 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri. June 26 – Baltimore, MD @ OttoBar
Sat. June 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sun. June 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater

Keep your mind open.

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Melkbelly announce new album, tour, and single – “LCR.”

Chicago-based band Melkbelly – comprised of Miranda Winters (vocals, guitar), Bart Winters (guitar), Liam Winters (bass), and James Wetzel (drums) – announces their new album, PITH, out April 3rd on Wax Nine / Carpark Records, and a North American tour. In conjunction with today’s announcement, they present the album’s lead single, “LCR,” and an accompanying animated video.

Listen to “LCR”
https://youtu.be/sw5IEA8ju88

After two years touring internationally, Melkbelly felt comfortable enough to rearrange songs they knew well, their renewed closeness guiding them. Their literally familial relationship was crucial for support, as PITH was summoned from a place of mourning. “We lost an incredible friend suddenly and nostalgia always acts as a helpful tool for me in navigating difficult times,” Miranda says. “Revisiting emotionally challenging moments or significant social interactions helps shed light on confusing feelings for me. Lyrically, grief gave way to considering life.” She drew from diverse scenes—Grimm-like children’s stories too dark for kids; thorny, mossy forests—to create stories that feel distinctly Melkbellian: philosophically strange, strikingly textural, funny and sad and open-hearted.

Recording in two short sessions six months apart, the band worked with longtime collaborator Dave Vettraino, this time at Bloomington, Indiana’s Russian Recording. Alongside an arsenal of rock gear and airy synth layers coaxed from a Moog Prodigy, PITH’s multidimensionality was refined by the studio’s collection of rare Russian tube mics, which were placed in every corner to capture Melkbelly’s unabashed loudness.

Lead Single “LCR” similarly shapes PITH’s dynamics and mood. Its shifting signatures held steady by James’ frantic beat, the track is a purgatorial homage to motion, ultimately propelled by its tangled guitars and layered vocal harmonies. “It’s about how having conversations with the dead can scoot you along in life, even when you’re really only hearing one side of the conversation or making up the other half,” says Miranda. The animated music video was directed by Qianwen Yu, who says it “imagines a group of creatures in a blue car driving towards the lake which finally reaches ‘the end of the world.’ ‘LCR’ is a type of noise-rock-pop music, so I used ’noise’ texture woven fabric and digitally processed watercolor in the video. Just like the feeling of ‘slick and sweetly’ written in the lyrics, this animated video added some feminine elements.”

Since their 2017 debut Nothing Valley, the members of Melkbelly have an even better understanding of their sonic motivations. On PITH, Melkbelly sought space, and succeeded in crafting it.

Melkbelly will tour across North American this spring. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale *INFO*.
PRE-ORDER PITH
https://smarturl.it/melkbelly_pith

PITH TRACKLIST:
1.THC
2. Sickeningly Teeth
3. LCR
4. Little Bug
5. Humid Heart
6. Kissing Under Some Bats
7. Season Of The Goose
8. Mr. Coda
9. Stone Your Friends
10. Take H20
11. Flatness

MELKBELLY TOUR DATES:
Sat. April 4 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Wed. April 22 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Thu. April 23 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Sat. April 24 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
Mon. April 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Wed. April 29 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Thu. April 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
Fri. May 1 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project

Melkbelly Online:
https://twitter.com/melkbelly
https://melkbelly.bandcamp.com/
http://pitchperfectpr.com/melkbelly/
https://www.facebook.com/melkbelly/
https://www.instagram.com/melkbelly/

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Iggy Pop – Post-Pop Depression (2016)

Iggy Pop once described his 2016 album Post-Pop Depression in a Rolling Stone article as “discussing issues of what happens when your utility is at an end, and dealing with your legacy.” It’s also an album with heavy themes of sex and death.

The opener, “Break into Your Heart,” with it’s heavy, menacing bass by Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) is about Pop willing to do whatever it takes to win the object of his desire. “Gardenia” has Pop and Joshua Homme (also of QOTSA as well as Eagles of Death Metal) singing of a “black goddess in a shabby raincoat” with an “hourglass glass” and “slant devil eyes” and how he just wants to pay for one more night with her. A friend of mine wondered if we needed a song about Iggy Pop, who was sixty-nine years old at the time, getting laid. I figured a guy pushing seventy singing about how he’s wanting (and, let’s face it, getting) more sex than guys decades younger than he is pretty damn punk rock.

“American Valhalla” is a song about figuring out what’s left behind after we die. “Death is the the pill that’s tough to swallow…I’m not the man with everything. I’ve nothing but my name. Lonely, lonely deeds that no one sees…Where is American Valhalla?” Everyone wants to know the answer to this, especially when we realize it’s not found in consumerism, Instagram, or reality TV. Homme’s guitar on “In the Lobby” reminds me of Mick Ronson‘s chops, and Pop’s vocals about hoping he doesn’t lose his life as he walks behind his shadow as “the dancing kids” who are out for their kicks are oblivious to the passage of time.

“Sunday” is a tale of enduring the drudgery of the work week and, I suspect, the life of a rock star (“This job is a masquerade of recreation.” / “I’ve got it all, but what’s it for?”) just to get to a day off. “Vulture,” with its spaghetti western showdown percussion from Matt Helders (of Arctic Monkeys) is about the spectre of death and record company executives waiting to bleed you dry.

You can’t help but wonder if Pop is writing from experience on “German Days” – a song about Bavarian brothels, “champagne on ice,” and the opportunity to “germinate in a German way.” Pop did spend many years in Berlin, so I’ll take his word for it. “Chocolate Drops” is about letting go of the past and not fearing death, and it’s no secret that Homme’s work on this album helped him after the terrorist attack at an Eagles of Death Metal show in 2015.

The album ends with the angry rants of “Paraguay,” in which Pop sings about “going where sore losers go to hide my face and spend my dough.” Pop is sick of sycophants and tired of the constant barrage of knowledge and information. He’s tired of living in a place where everyone is afraid and chooses to live in that fear. The song breaks down close to the four-minute mark into a fiery rant from Pop in which he tears down us, the listeners, that he’s sick of our “evil and poisonous intentions” while Homme, Fertita, and Helders chant “Wild animals, they do. Never wonder why, just do what they goddamn do.”

Thankfully, this wasn’t Pop’s last record, as some thought it might be. He isn’t leaving for Paraguay just yet, but Post-Pop Depression is a warning that he might at any moment and not look back at us as he does. It’s also a warning for us to get off our asses, throw away our laptops, and make something of our lives before we’ve run out of time.

Keep your mind open.

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The Chats’ debut album, “High Risk Behavior,” is due this March, but you can catch “The Clap” from them now.

Australian punks The Chats announce their debut album, High Risk Behaviour, out March 27th on Bargain Bin Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia, and a North American tour. In conjunction with today’s announcement, they present a video for lead single, “The Clap.” High Risk Behaviour buzzes like an out-of-control chainsaw, propelled by spoken-spit-sung vocals, their three-chords-is-one-too-many approach, and an exacting combination of youth, vigour and drunkenness. It’s a perfect name for an album that does not f*ck around – one that’s over in 28 blistering, funny, sweaty, unforgettable minutes.
WATCH VIDEO FOR “THE CLAP”
https://youtu.be/POM_98oi0oo

LISTEN TO “THE CLAP”
https://orcd.co/highriskbehaviour
The Chats – made of Eamon Sandwith, Matt Boggis, and Josh Price – formed in 2016 while still in high school. Since then, they’ve released a self-titled EP in 2016 and 2017’s Get This In YaEP, and have accrued a fanbase that includes Dave Grohl, Queen of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and Iggy Pop – the latter two who asked the band to open on their respective Australian tours. And despite being the subject of a record label bidding war, they’re releasing High Risk Behaviour on their own label (Bargain Bin Records). It’s indicative of a band that has embraced DIY culture since day one. Their determination to do things “our way” extends to their music, which is why High Risk Behaviour delivers everything you’ve come to love from The Chats – only more of it – and confirms their status as Queensland’s greatest ever export.

To create High Risk Behaviour, the band worked with engineer Bill Gardner in his studio on the Australian coast. It took nearly 18 months to finish and several, quick-paced sessions. “If we’d just done a week and slogged it out we could have had an album before now but we just kept going in there and making newer and better songs so it’s hard to put a stop on it,” says Sandwith.

Its lyrics are drawn from everyday experiences; from paying attention to the kind of stuff so banal that the rest of us don’t even notice it. Such as its lead single, “The Clap,” sung by Sandwith and Price, which is both a cautionary tale and the closest you’ll ever hear The Chats get to write a love song. Its accompanying video was directed by Matt Weston and features the band.

“I just want people to have a good time,” says Sandwith. “I want them to dance around and have a beer and enjoy it. We don’t make songs for people to look at in a fucking emotional or intellectual way. We just make songs for people to jump around and have fun to.”

In support of High Risk Behaviour, The Chats will embark on a North American tour later this spring. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale Friday, January 24th at 10am local time.
PRE-ORDER HIGH RISK BEHAVIOUR
https://orcd.co/highriskbehaviour

HIGH RISK BEHAVIOUR TRACKLIST:
1. Stinker
2. Drunk N Disorderly
3. The Clap
4. Identity Theft
5. Guns
6. Dine N Dash
7. Keep The Grubs Out
8. Pub Feed
9. Ross River
10. Heatstroke
11. Bill Backwash’s Day
12. 4573
13. Do What I Want
14. Better Than You

THE CHATS TOUR DATES:
Fri. April 10 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
Sat. April 11 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theatre *
Sun. April 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades *
Mon. April 13 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *
Tue. April 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon *
Fri. April 17 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
Sat. April 18 – San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park *
Sun. April 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom *
Mon. April 20 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf *
Wed. April 22 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *
Thu. April 23 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s *
Fri. April 24 – Houston, TX @ Bronze Peacock at House of Blues *
Sun. April 26 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre *
Tue. April 28 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall *
Wed. April 29 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues *
Thu. April 30 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In *
Fri. May 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre *
Sat. May 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Epicenter Festival
Sun. May 3 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore Silver Spring *
Tue. May 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts *
Wed. May 6 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
Thu. May 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw *
Wed. Oct. 7 – Amsterdam, BL @ Melkweg Max
Sat. Oct. 10 – Paris, FR @ Maroquinerie
Sun. Oct. 11 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria
Mon. Oct. 12 – Hamburg, DE @ Gruenspan
Tue. Oct. 13 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Oct. 16 – Southampton, UK @ 1865
Sat. Oct. 17 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Mon. Oct. 19 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
Tue. Oct. 20 – Belfast, UK @ Limelight
Thu. Oct. 22 – Glasgow, UK @ Galvanizers
Fri. Oct. 23 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Oct. 24 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
Sun. Oct. 25 – Leeds, UK @ Stylus
Mon. Oct. 26 – Brighton, UK @ Dome
Tue. Oct. 27 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Wed. Oct. 28 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
Thu. Oct 29 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton

* = w/ Mean Jeans & Thick

Keep your mind open.

[I’ll clap if you subscribe.]