In-Frequencies #13: Bits Of Shit, Straight Arrows, Mountain Blood, Living Eyes

TIM SCOTT rounds up the latest cassette, 7” and CD-R releases, including shed rock, greaser punk, downer pop and some choice shoegaze covers.

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Halt Ever
Youth Index
(EP, independent)

It’s encouraging and refreshing to see a young band stick it up a bit and mix some styles into their recording. These Melbourne guys go from the more standard shoegaze to the more rollicking ‘Thrown’ (released as a single earlier in the year) then to the more atmospheric ‘I Feel a Funeral in My Brain’, which recalls the dark post-punk of a band like Merchandise. But the best track turns out to be the lush instrumental title track. Go figure.

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Velvet Whip
Warm and Tough
(cassette, Cool Death)

Six disturbing and damaged space-punk songs that help you deal with all the relevant and burning issues. Power and animosity. Paranoia and peace. How to remove the brown pit stains on the Hoax shirt you got at Chaos in Tejas. Members of Constant Mongrel, Pathetic Human, Nun and Headless Death play non-fashionable punk like the non-fashionable punk back in the day: Die Kreuzen, Deep Wound, etc. Pretty much sold out by now but well worth picking up if you get a chance.

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The Living Eyes
Eat It Up
(7”, Goodbye Boozy)

Italians do it better. Just as good as Geelong kids at least. Goodbye Boozy Records out of Teramo in the Abruzzi province drops the latest single from Billy and The Living Eyes out of the Corio Bay province. The two songs sound similar in feel and spirit to the LP but they’ve ditched Mikey in favour for Owen. Bouncy but loose pop on ‘Eat It Up’. These guys continue to impress.

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Straight Arrows
Never Enough
(7”, Hozac)

Limited to 500 copies as part of Chicago label Hozac’s Hookup Klub series that has also included UV Race, Slug Guts and Super Wild Horses. The A-side sees the Sydney wassailers slowing things down (slightly) and going for a more fuzzed-out/THC buzz. The B-side ‘Can’t Stand It’ is actually the stronger, with the guitar taking the bonkers meter to max factor and sounding more like their earlier ‘Can’t Count’ stuff. Cover art by Per Bystrom (Ooga Boogas, Exhaustion, Leather Towel) and recorded by none other than O. Penglis himself. They have probably all gone already.

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Sick People
Fake’s Rule
(7”, Urban Rage)

Gruff and burly hardcore from Brisbane that makes no apologies for it’s championing of ’80s Boston and Australian hardcore from the early ’90s. Originally recorded by Geordie Stafford at Tyms Guitars in October 2012, it finally gets a vinyl treatment. The songs fly fast and capture the spirit of shows in drains and old rugby league jerseys. It makes sense that they have covered Negative Approach’s ‘Tied Down’. Vocalist Sick Rick pretty much spells/yells it out on the opening 'Poured It Out': “You can’t see what’s in my mind. Self-imprisonment, want to die.” Check ‘Violent Streak’, which also appeared on an earlier promo. Stand back from the front if you don't want to get hurt.

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Nth Wheel
Nth Wheel II
(cassette, Do Your Block)

Mark Hewitt releases his second cassette of damaged downer pop recorded on four-track and eight-track in various draughty locations. By Hewitt’s own admission the echoing guitar fragments sounds like the damaged mope of Kevin DeBroux (Pink Reason) or Jim Shepard, but on tracks like the eight-minute opening ‘Air Lift’ it blurs the melody of Vampire on Titus-era Guided By Voices with resting your sleeve in a pool of spilt beer. Limited to 50 cassette copies, which is maybe a good thing as the world already has enough sadness and loneliness.

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Roku Music
Primitive EP
(cassette, self-released)

Brisbane shoegaze outfit that started as a duo featuring members of No Anchor and Pastel Blaze but have grown to a four-piece. This cassette, limited to 100 copies, sees them drop an original song, ‘Primitive’, and a couple of covers: My Bloody Valentine’s 'Drive It All Over Me’ and Slowdive’s 'Allison'. But it’s more than just an exercise in terse feedback, and the original actually holds its own against some of shoegaze’s big guns. Expect an LP later this year.

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Bits of Shit
Bits of Shit
(7”, Total Punk)

Melbourne yob punks continue their pillaging and plundering of North America. After a US tour last year and before an upcoming release on the esteemed Matador, they drop this 7” on Totally Punk, the subsidiary of Florida’s Dying. A-side ‘Meat Thump’ sees them continuing naming songs after bands and musicians they dig (Lazy Cowgirls, Tim Hemensley); this time named after the band formed by Brendon Annesley, the late editor of Negative Guest List fanzine. It’s a bona fide ripper that sees the four-piece veering even more down the mid-era Black Flag damage/vortex.

Dribble
Dribble
(cassette, Cool Death)

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Amazing and annoying munted punk from some of the hoons from Gutter Gods and Slow. Six tracks released on newish Melbourne label Cool Death. Imagine if Fungus Brains had more of a US hardcore leaning. Downturned and distorted dirge. I can only imagine ‘Victoria (Street)’ is about the notorious Richmond street that is famous/infamous for more than just pho soup.

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Ich Bin Ein Esel
Holy Grail
(7”, Swashbuckling Hobo)

Brisbane shed rock featuring members of The Onyas, The Dangermen and The Boondall Boys. If you are familiar with any of those bands, this doesn’t deviate too far from what probably just popped into your head. The German translation of the band name is “I’m a donkey” and the album cover, designed by The Onyas’ Mad Macka, features the colours of the Federal Republic of Germany. ‘Holy Grail’ takes in ’80s metal and funnels it through a sweat-soaked wife beater. Guitar solos go a bit berserk. ‘Man Punches Shark’ is about a man punching a shark in an attempt to prove that he has the ability and power to “fuck shit up.”

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Mountain Blood
Mountain Blood
(cassette, Major Crimes)

Two-piece Adelaide punk that features one guy from Big Richard Insect and the other from Mondo Phase Band. Unlike their other bands, they’ve stripped it right back to the basic elements of guitar and drums. On a track like ‘The Wedding Song’, that seems to be enough for a bunch of longhairs with denim cutoffs to smash some West End cans. It’s not revolutionising anything and sounds like a lot of stuff on Burger Records’ catalogue, but on a Friday night after a 30-hour week at Pie Face it will do the trick.

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Sex Pest
Cruising 4 Humans
(7”, independent)

“We’ve got one headlight” is the opening line on this two-tracker from Auckland band Sex Pest. There’s a heavy ‘rock’ feel to the punk and while most of that Gearhead magazine/greaser rock punk usually makes me feel ill, these guys sound similar in style and vibe to old Perth band Jed Whitey, who always managed to do it right. Their demo tape of a few years ago is also worth checking out.

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