Following a collection of brilliant EPs, Canberra punks Super Best Friends have released their debut full length album. Super best friends have brought out the intense hard core punk sound reminiscent of bands like Black Flag and put their own twist to it to make it sound fresh, new, and exciting. On top of this the band have capture that raw live feel in their sound to give out a strong atmosphere of being out at a gig.
One thing that really stands out here are the lyrics Each track is packed with thought provoking and often confronting words dealing with a wide range of contentious issues relevant to Australia without sounding forced or preachy.
The album starts racing from the beginning with the high energy stoner rock sounds of Conscript. The intensity of the music is more than matched with the sharp and confronting lyrics dealing with the issues of war and its casualties. Dog whistling is a fast paced heavy rock tune that tackles the issues around immigration and asylum seekers.
All my friends are leaving town is a screeching punk rock tune in the vein of Pennywise. Complete with some big sing-a-long parts this works as a great rock anthem.
Gentrified takes a dim look at the way the live music and nightlife scene has changed overtime.
The man song is a raw punk rock tune in the vein of early Green Day. The lyrics tackle the denigrating stereotype of males depicted in Australian media and its severe inaccuracy and limitations. The words are delivered in a suitably ironic way before thrashing out the concluding points with great forcefulness.
Radio silence has elements of early Nirvana complete with loud grungy guitars. Paranoid Peter paranoid is a (really really fast) heavy rock tune that packs a massive punch while taking a savage attack on elitism.
The album closes with the (relatively) slower Faith No More-esq Slow Dance.
This is an absolutely awesome rock album that Australia really needed! Over the eleven tracks, it’s hard to think of any political stone that was left unturned as the band cover the major issues affecting Australia. These are all addressed with both intellect and passion while also covered in some blasting hard core rock tunes.
Check out Super Best Friends’ Facebook page to find out more!
