“I don’t wanna be stuck inside that negatIvity, cunt, you’ll never get with me”, hollers the blushing wallflower Amy Taylor through a wall of noise on ‘Jerkin”. Of course, this is typical of the Melbourne punk scamps, and their irrepressible frontwoman. So too is ‘Tiny Bikini’ and ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’, a flip of the bird to censorship and celebration of bodily autonomy.
This, their third album, is a continuation of their impish racket, quite traditional rock in many ways from the band who see ACDC as kindred spirits. But there’s a sweeter side too, with the more contemplative and poignant almost- ballad ‘Big Dreams’ ,where Taylor coos sweetly about getting out of a rut and chasing dreams, while acknowledging “it isn’t easy with the cost of living”. There’s also the similarly introspective, vulnerable ‘Bailing On Me’. It’s lovely hearing she can really sing, a real revelation. ‘Big Dreams ‘ is definitely one of the year’s best singles.
Piledriving anthems are fun then, as ever, but it’s good to hear some more thoughtfulness and sensitivity alongside the good time tunes. Taylor, along with drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Martens and bassist Gus Romer are smarter than the average bears, and thrilling, but I’m hopeful they’ll experiment more with every album.
Out on October 25th via B2B/Virgin Records.
Hit The North 