Following on from last year’s barnstorming long-player Hammered, Naarm/Melbourne-based punk posse Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters are back with another gnarly offering. ‘Been Waiting’ is the first prickly piece of music from the group’s forthcoming fifth record Waiting In A Corner. The track is propelled by the group’s signature sense of raucous energy, but heightened production serves to highlight the sextet’s bruising appeal in greater detail.
Words: James Frostick
Band image and cover art: Summer Hiskens
Brisbane/Meanjin three-piece Bin Licker are today releasing Cave Canem – a brand-new cassette EP via Eternal Soundcheck – and we’re giving it a spin. Boasting four tracks of arresting mutant noise, Cave Canem is a hefty dose of cask-strength junk punk – the kind of warped skronk that you can only emanate from the heat-warped crevices of the Sunshine State’s southeast corner.
Words: James Frostick Naretha Williams image: Christopher Sutherland
The year keeps on and so does the music. Volume two of Brief Breakdown charts some of the new song releases of the past month or so – everything from tooth-grinding synth-punk and dreamy scuzz to haunting organ-laced drone and unhurried, contemplative sax-laced pop.Continue reading Listen: BRIEF BREAKDOWN VOL. 2→
Words: James Frostick Shove band image: Bad Band Pix
Even though Australia’s live-music scene has come to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus lockdowns, musicians haven’t remained idle. Melbourne/Naarm-based punk label Blow Blood Records has assembled a killer crop of musicians to contribute to A Long Time Alone – a new mixtape of tracks composed by members of Australia’s underground in isolation. The compilation dropped digitally this week, so we chatted with Blow Blood head honcho Christina Pap about the genesis of the release and how music can unite a socially-distanced community.Continue reading Interview: ACTIVITY IN ISOLATION – BLOW BLOOD RECORDS LAUNCHES A LONG TIME ALONE→
Melbourne’s The Faculty are back with news of a new EP in the chamber. Before pulling back the hammer and unloading Here’s To Fun’s eight tracks of wild punk rock, they’re starting with a warning shot in the form of new single ‘Chrissy Moltisanti’ – a zippy number touching on those that place a higher importance on their own social standing than their relationships.
Earlier this month, Victorian gutter punks APCO dropped their hefty debut LP into our laps. While we’re still reeling from the record’s weighty punch, the group has followed up the haymaker with a snappy uppercut to the jaw in the form of the surreal and confronting visual treatment for lead single ‘Schizophrenimares’. Continue reading Video Premiere: APCO – ‘SCHIZOPHRENIMARES’→
Cereal Killer is calling it quits, but not before unleashing its one full-length record, The Beginning & End Of Cereal Killer through Anti Fade Records and Drunken Sailor Records. Lead single ‘Your Punk Scene Can Suck It’ is a gnashing and primitive piece of punk that thumbs its nose that the scene it’s leaving behind, but we’re left wondering if the scene sucks for various reasons or sucks because Cereal Killer is no longer a part of it.
With a gnashing fury buoyed by a destructive sonic onslaught, Sydney’s XILCH are on the cusp of unleashing its debut cassette release. ‘My World’ exemplifies the band’s penchant for unrelenting power, with influence plumbed from some of punk’s nihilistic best.
There’s a new crew on the scene slinging a feisty brand of speedy and unhinged hardcore. Hacker is the name, and the band’s brand-new demo tape contains four tracks of unbridled sonic intensity.
Melbourne-via-Geelong quartet Gonzo will be releasing their second full-length album Do it Better Again in March through hit factory Anti Fade Records. To get the juices of excitement going, the crew is offering up a prime cut from the record in the form of lead track ‘Put The Money’. A pepped-up slice of agile rock ‘n’ roll that is all about striking first, striking hard and taking the pot when it is at its fullest.
Weirdo Wasteland is an Australian-based music blog that examines musical endeavour from the cultural fringe. The site regularly features reviews and interviews from the underground scenes from Australia and New Zealand. Weirdo Wasteland acknowledges the original custodians of the land upon which it operates. Sovereignty has never been ceded. To get in touch, contact: weirdowasteland (at) gmail.com
