Track by Track: Hoarse

Melbourne trio Hoarse fill their debut LP with bitter two-minute bruisers. MAX DUCKER (guitar, vocals), LUKE FUSSELL (bass), LEIGH FISCHER (drums) explain.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.]

‘One Whisker’

Max: Some people, for reasons unknown to me, seem to thrive on playing the victim role in bad relationships. As much help or advice as you offer them, they keep going back for more punishment. The constant circles witnessed brought on the ramblings heard on this track.

Luke: I always assumed this song was about those internet warriors who sling shit at other people from the safety of their parent’s house.

Leigh: It was great times to hear this song for the first time without us having to play it. We’ve got that one part that is so wonderfully crushing and lasts for almost no time. That stuff is my jam!

‘Your Words Bore Me’

Max: Have you ever been verbally lurked on? Caught in a one-way conversation at your local bar with a desperate stranger who feels it’s their duty to share their bigotry or sexism with you? You attempt to respectfully take your exit only to have them lean in closer or quicken their rant and make the situation all the more inescapable.

Luke: For such a patient gentleman, it was really pleasing to discover that Max hates people as much as I do.

Leigh: Seconded. Do I do a one-second disco beat in this song? I think I might.

‘Crawling Like an Idea’

Max: I’ve always liked keeping the amount of lyrics down to a minimum. To quote Iggy Pop, if a message or story can’t be told in 17 words or less, it isn’t worth telling. With this in mind this track has one line, which is repeated somewhat like a mantra. The basic theme behind this track is something I’m sure is common to many artists during the creative process. When you’re not physically working on an art piece, you’re mentally looking for solutions or brainstorming ideas in your downtime.

Luke: Getting the bass parts right on this was pretty fucking painful too.

Leigh: We just strummed this one out, and I was like “That’s a number one record.” We have this joyous moment in this song where the bass disappears, coming in even stronger later with this single tom floating over the top. It’s like going to Sizzler just for the salad bar.

‘Mule’

Max: Stuck in your ways and jaded with change? Been unfaithful to your partner or been disloyal to a mate? There isn’t a dirty secret held that won’t bite you on the arse at some time in the future.

Luke: One time I lost my shit at a racist old bus driver and this song makes me think of him.

Leigh: I once had a bloke in standard stubbies and blue singlet come up to me with his balls in his hand moaning, “I want to paint you.” I rarely think of him. Thanks for bringing it up...

‘Sour Meat’

Max: Growing animosities towards a person who, word by word or through their actions, slowly manage to give you the shits. Come on, we’ve all lived in a shared house or known a dickhead.

Luke: This song grosses me out. It’s a good one.

Leigh: Stellar guitar work from my dearest comrades on this one. The empire is proud. I’m pretty sure this is the bestest, most condensed example of the exemplary expounding of excellence, even if extraneous, to the elemental aspects of the endeavour.

‘I Sit in the Background’

Max: Bide your time and observe your surroundings, somewhat of an inner conversation that transpires whilst traveling from A to B within my head. Ha, no, really, I think the first line came to me while writing the guitar part for the track. I usually mumble out a melody with no words then a line comes to me and I elaborate this into a verse or two, quite often with little to no continuous theme.

Luke: Sometimes when you’re people-watching you might feel a certain amount of warmth for humanity. Sometimes you look up from your beer and realise you’re surrounded by a pack of cunts.

Leigh: I cry every time.

‘Deaf Drums’

Max: Much to my surprise, after moving from Perth to Melbourne I noticed a large amount of Melbourne bands at the time playing rather traditional forms of music using banjos and double basses. This perhaps was due to the fact that I was doing sound around the Brunswick area and hadn’t cottoned on to the full gamut of good music going on in other venues around Melbourne. I grew up in a small country town and was completely over rehashed traditional copycats. Anyway, my shallow outlook spawned through spite wrote this track.

Luke: This one could’ve been a bloated monster but it’s pared back to two minutes like the rest of them.

Leigh: No use in driving a truck if you can’t even park a ute ... unless you have a ute that you borrowed and you need to use it for something specifically in the relatively near future. In that case, just try to get a basic feel for the general capabilities of the vehicle and get the job done as reasonably and efficiently as you can. If you’re truly pure, ZZ Top will look like trite honkey nonsense in comparison.

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‘Hoarse’ is out now digitally, with vinyl planned for later this year.