Gonzo are back with their second full-length release, the first taste of music we’ve had from them since their move up to Melbourne last year and it’s chock full of steezy analogue rockin’ goodness.
The album kicks off with the lead single ‘Put The Money’. Compared to the band’s last release, which was full of big, fuzzed surf guitar sounds (rocked), ‘Put The Money’ kicks off but a little more attention to subtlety and dynamics than you’re used to hearing from Gonzo with its wiry guitars over a steady thumpin’ beat.’ You start thinking ‘hmm is episode a little more refined, more subdued than normal?’ But then Meat Sweats burst through the door straight after, it didn’t knock, and you didn’t even know it was coming over, and its opening riff grabs you by the shirt and starts jumper-punching you and it’s kind of weird and you’re a little scared, but you’re having a good time.
‘Never Say Never Again’ comes on next, one of the catchiest on the album. The vocals sort of accent odd parts of the words around the beat in this cool, strange way, and the off-kilter, casual chanting of ‘never’ in the chorus gets stuck in your head for ages.
‘Wishbone’ steps in a little later with a pleasant instrumental, with chill and bright melodies, that serve as a little intermission that lulls you into a false sense of relaxation before the distorted wail at the start of ‘Videodrome’ snaps you straight out of it. ‘Videodrome’ is my top pick for the album for sure. The verse has this forward-leaning intensity that feels like barely contained madness, the chorus thumps in your head and keeps you guessing with some unexpected little pauses, before it all lets loose after the last chorus when the guitar switches up and goes wild for the outro. It’s a really good time.
Moving into the last third of the album, I like ‘Genius’ because I feel like you can hear all their separate influences converging in that track – catchy, bright guitars that touch on old school surf rock, intermixed with big fuzzy Thee Oh Sees-esque riffs, and doused in that Australian garage flavour that has pepperings of anyone from The Saints through to Eddy Current.
The album ends on a strong note with ‘Escalator’. Real catchy baseline, in and out of the quiet of the verse and the loud of the chorus in a way that makes you want to jump around really bad. It keeps saying “I want something more” in the verse, and after it ends, I want something more from Gonzo. I see what you did with that album placement there, nice one.
TL/DR: Very good rock music.
4.5/5
Anti Fade Records
Reviewed by Liam McNally
