An ode to their chaotic front woman.
You’ve heard it before, the long, high pitch drone of electric guitar feedback beckoning you into its pull before its player lets loose. For the seemingly tantalising opening 20 seconds of Eat The Damn Orange’s new single ‘Keep Up With Me’, you are forced into its pull, as the feedback rises in pitch until only when the sweet release of the pumping power chords and driving drums take you down a road of crunchy riffs, and powerful vocal delivery, do you realise you’re in a place you’re not quite ready to leave yet. Or maybe ever.
The single release stands at the precipice of Eat the Damn Orange’s larger delivery. A debut album titled ‘Taking The Pith’, scheduled for release in April this year, in which the band look to cement themselves as serious heavyweights on Melbourne’s rock scene.
‘Keep Up With Me’ offers a sweet taste of what fans can expect from the LP, and signals a move from their previous release ‘Hook’, also released this year. Yet what these singles do showcase is a band of eclectic taste, not afraid to represent that in their music.
“Between the five of us, we can put together one of the strangest and most eclectic playlists ever. There is everything from Latin rock to death metal, jazz to glam, flamenco to rock. We are a strange bunch of individuals that make a happy little bunch. Hook was a very personal song that Tash had written that we all really loved. This one is a bit more of a party track. You never quite know where our inspiration will come from next,” says guitarist Brendan Nelissen.
Although drawing from a plethora of sources, Eat the Damn Orange is able to distil these into a cohesive rock smash that makes one thing very clear upon your first listen. This one was made for those of you lucky enough to have luscious long locks, because rather than asking politely, this song demands the heaviest of headbanging.
Lead singer Tash Vargas cuts effortlessly through the heavy distortion of bass and guitar with scream-along worthy lyrics ready-made for your most energetic of mosh pits. We are only then awarded a screaming guitar solo two-and-a-half minutes in, elevating the track’s energy to surely prick the ears of even the most seasoned of rock’s die-hards.
“We definitely try and make all of our songs fun for the audience. Whether it be fun to dance to, listen to or just plain funny. Generally, we find that if we have fun playing it, people will enjoy listening to it.”
Along with most, last year’s lockdowns and restrictions inhibited the band from being able to sink their teeth into consistent releases, however on the eve of their debut album’s release, the band are just grateful they have been able to reach the point they’re at.
“The most surprising thing is how long it’s taken to get here. No one saw Covid coming of course so that added many challenges. We did what we could in between lockdowns in regard to recording and making videos etc. In the end, we are all really proud of what we have made, and we really hope that as many people as possible get to hear it.”
Again, the driving tones of the distorted guitar and bass amongst a heavy kit pushing the song forward, with striding lead vocals in Eat The Damn Orange’s single ‘Keep Up With Me’ begs the fairly simple question. Maybe we should?
Check out the new single below.
