Featuring past members of Responder, An Undying Day in Orbit and Seconds, Melbourne’s Strathmore is a throwback to the Aussie punk sounds of the 1990s (think Bodyjar, Knapsack and Samiam). The band walks the DIY road, releasing their self-produced debut EP Everything Tonight in 2011. Now they’re thrilled to welcome their feature-length debut, Time Well Wasted. According to the presser, the album takes an edgier and more considered turn than Everything Tonight. Gareth Leach, the band’s stickman, was behind the producing, recording and mixing of the vinyl release. He says: “We wanted the sound of the album to be natural and reflect how we sound live. We tried not to record too many takes, and I think we achieved that natural sound without compromising the fidelity of the music.” Vocalist Ant McCormick chimes in on the album’s lyrical content: “The songs are fairly biographical. It’s all about playing in bands, the people you meet and lose along the way and the reasons why after years of slugging it out, we all still play and love playing in bands. This is the inspiration for the title of the record too – we do what we do because it is what we are.” The Barwon Club, Geelong – August 15; The American Hotel, Echuca – August 16; and The Black Swan, Bendigo – September 6.
