Chinese Burns are gone.
Well the story goes they broke up after putting out their first single 'Can Dig' which was so positively reviewed on Terminal Boredom they had to repress it making these guys rethink their breakup.(?) That can't be true....anyway that's the story they're telling.
However you tell it that single was insanely scuzzy and fit alongside Eat Skull or the Mayyors in fighting for fidelity back in '08 but it's the kind of garage that's instantly classic, obliviously full of guts and the insides of the sausage. I mean if we're going to eat it who cares if I see how it's made?
A-Side's "Not My Girl" comes in with a giant empty room bassline and ridiculous tom rhythm - or is that a dull snare thudded out with an underwater pillow? An electric see saws off those jittery new wave jerks until crashing out in it's own scratchy verse. Perfect vocal but what I keep noticing about these guys is their quick slip into a slightly different chorus ...just when you think we're there, they change direction again. A quest to stay new and damn short by the way. "Goose Step" ...like I was saying it's fast as anything but they still seem to be delivering it at a reasonable speed. I'm catching every lyric and nuance. As scuzzy as this should be in theory it's all right here, with the best solo clearly damaging equipment and pushing the distortion into places you can't come back from. It's the best contemporary punk; shitty enough they obviously aren't spending their money on studio sessions but it's not accidentally their first record either. I can't even remember why I felt like I had to talk about Australia anyway this isn't tied to a local scene or microcosmic genre. A case of knowing it when you hear it, they are doing everything right. Glad you decided to give it another go guys.
B-Side's "In My Jungle" dives into a deep bassline with the electric slowly fading in with the psyche filters on. These guys have traded some of that hiss and static for a real separated clarity. This builds into a demented horror surf instrumental. Lumbering along with great vocals that keep it dangerous and weird, blaring into a distorted PA they even find a watery phaser for backup. They are just the kind of band to do whatever the hell they want and it's nothing like that debut single and is at the same time.
Get this one from Easter Bilby, your local connection for all things AU.
Great post. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!
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