Bendigo Records has just announced the signing of rising punk firebrands Relays.
Formed locally here on Dja Dja Wurrung land, the exciting and energetic three-piece have quickly built a fervent local following with their unpredictable and captivating live show, as well as on the back of three killer singles.
With a style that nods to local legends Cosmic Psychos as well as equal parts Dead Kennedys and Wipers, Relays are quickly carving out a niche within the rising Aussie DIY punk scene. The edgy and darkly satirical lyrics of bass player and lead singer Stanley Knife, paired with his arresting on-stage persona is undoubtedly Relays’ star attraction. Poking fun, with perhaps some truth, at the life lived in the underclasses of our regional towns, ‘Relays’ marinate the central punk tenants of pushing boundaries and asking uncomfortable questions with inimitable humour.
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Local legend Shann Lions (Four Lions, Mystic Park) is a producer, guitarist, and vocalist. His riff-smithing brings just the right amount of polish to the trio (not too much though – it is punk after all) and drummer and vocalist Mik Weird is the bombastic engine room that drives ‘Relays’ through the chaos.
Their live-to-tape recordings at Head Gap studio in Preston have yielded three singles that have amassed nearly 20,000 streams globally, and Bendigo Records is proud to partner with them for their best track yet ‘It’s O.K’.
Releasing April 18, it is an irreverent and darkly humorous punk-rock anthem that will get stuck in your head, but be careful who you mindlessly hum the chorus out loud to…
Helping Relays gear up for the release of their debut album later in the year, Bendigo Records could not be happier to be one of the teams supporting grass-roots music here at home.
“As soon as I saw their set at Gold Rock Festival here in Bendigo I knew we had to work with them,” Bendigo Records Director and Head of Music Sam Edmonds said. “There’s a chaos that reminds me of seeing sweaty gigs at clubs in Melbourne growing up. ‘Relays’ might already be one of the best punk acts in the country.”
Check out everything about Bendigo Records and suss out Relays here.
