Trash Art is an absolute doozy; featuring old school ‘So-Cal’ punk vibes with a much more abrasive Aussie twanged vocalist.
Giving off a slightly Adolescents vibe, Social Haunts are the newest Melbourne punk group that’ll be sure to catch your attention.
‘Payday’ is ruled by a downright fun surf punk riff, that at times is faintly reminiscent of The Strokes ‘Juicebox’. With heavy political lyrics such as “this isn’t democracy, this is hypocrisy” ‘Payday’ will definitely go down as a singalong favourite at the Tote.
With wit and larrikinism tied into song titles such as ‘She’s Gonna Do Bad On The Voice’ and ‘Trophy Kunt’, it was songs such as ‘Charlatan’ that really stood out to me.
‘Charlatan’ has more of a melodic feel to it whilst still maintaining the pace and aggression persistent throughout the first half of the album. The slower and more drawn out approach allows the groups vocalist ‘Prod’ to really experiment with different tones and emphasis with his voice, the result is outstanding.
‘Flares’ is a personal standout song for me. I really love it when Australian Punk/Rock acts include a stripped-back acoustic version on an album that is primarily heavy.
As seen previously with acts like The Vines and The Vasco Era, this approach gives a really beautiful chance to really put the Australian soul and twang into it. The kind of ballad that is sombre yet uplifting simultaneously.
The later half of the album is lulls in heaviness until ‘Trophy Kunt’ which ushers in an attention-grabbing opening ruled by its catchy bassline.
Overall, it’s a really cool album that would be equally as fitting to be released by labels like UNFD or Greyscale as it would with I Oh You or Poison City.
4/5
Reviewed by Alex Callan