Teether 36, Album Reviews

Album Reviews by Bryget Chrisfield

A sample of a Swiss children’s orchestra – resplendent with choir and accordion – opens With Gusto and, if not forewarned, you could be forgiven for suspecting your Bluetooth speaker’s been hijacked. Then – just in case you’re not already familiar with Eggy’s wild-and-woolly sonic aesthetic – ‘Begin At The End’ is attacked by sax before multiple instruments reintroduce synchronised, syncopated grooves to bring it home. Wait, did we just hear humans barking like dogs to open ‘Gold And/Or Silver’? Shouldn’t be at all surprised, really, since this quintet traditionally laugh in the face of convention. ‘Magic 8 Ball’ opens with what sounds like a UFO hovering overhead. Then enter a sample of an astrological reading (for Geminis), feedback squall, jaunty drumming, limber, hypnotic bass – all within the song’s first 15 seconds or so!

Lead single ‘A Toast To Your Good Health’ derails from the get-go, but really flies its freak flag around the halfway mark when the arrangement strips right back to just cabasa accents: “Go to the party/ Get dressed up” – these fun-activity

suggestions, repeated in robotic fashion, soon become unwelcome commands. Percussive panting enlivens ‘Fill In The Blanks’ and this song’s outro – which conjures gremlins trashing the studio – is just about as madcap as Eggy gets. “Off to the shops with a hop-and-skipand-jump...” – ‘The Luckiest Girl In The World’ calls to mind a hapless victim in a fairytale, blissfully unaware of their impending doom. That is until a flurry of strings swarm the scene, like an unprovoked bee attack. You’ve quite possibly clocked some of Eggy’s players cross-pollinating in the various other local outfits of interest: Dominic Moore also contributes to Kosmetika’s fuzz-soaked indie stylings, Zoe Monk is one of The Stroppies and you may recognise Sam Lyons from House Deposit (which is a lousy band name to Google, BTW) .

If you find yourself scratching your noggin wondering, ‘WTF?’ after giving With Gusto a spin, then you’re certainly not alone. But also, something tells me this out-there Melbourne collective wouldn’t have it any other way. Eggy aim to “forge a sound that is at once fascinating and disconcerting”. Mission accomplished then, legends! More playful than self-indulgent, With Gusto intrigues at every turn and you simply cannot argue with that. Or the irrefutable fact that there ain’t nothing beige about Eggy.

Label: Flightless Records Release date: 22 July Phil Jamieson Somebody Else

Having fronted Grinspoon since they first formed back in 1995, when he was just 18, Phil Jamieson finally releases his debut solo record – which he’s playfully labelled “dad pop” – and serves up some food for thought in the opening title track: “If you could be somebody else/ Would you turn back time?”

Some of these songs predate his stint playing St. Jimmy in Green Day’s musical ‘American Idiot’ (2017). And Jamieson’s solo journey began with ‘Kapow!’, which expertly bottles the buzz of a spontaneous getaway (“Let’s run away together/ To a village by the sea”). Jamieson has actually performed this Stereophonics-esque lead single during live sets for about a year now and claims he’s already been “DM’d on socials” about the “mystery song in the set”.

There’s an abundance of thrilling ‘ooooooh shiiiiiit!’ arrangement twists throughout killer second single ‘Trouble’ (co-written/co-produced by You Am I’s Davey Lane). Those gnarly riffs are so unexpectedly sexy and Jamieson flexes the upper reaches of his singable compass here (“...THIIIIIIINGS I’VE DONE!) – such a showoff. ‘YCBM’ (You Could Be Mine) struts in with cowboy swagger and what sounds like slinky güiro accents “You could be mine/ If I could find the time”. Jamieson channels the debonair Alex Turner here; just one of the various new sonic identities he tries on, across this LP’s eight tracks, while transforming from Grinspoon’s frontman into Somebody Else entirely.

Label: Cheersquad Records & Tapes Release date: 27 July

Sappho Sappho

Hold up. That breathy, alluring vocal delivery – like a tantalising secret whispered just out of earshot…sounds so familiar… aha! That’ll be because Phoebe Baker, the mastermind behind this project, was previously lead vocalist for the now-defunct indie-pop band, Alpine.

When she was born, the story goes that Baker’s parents were torn between naming her Phoebe or Sappho, hence her choice of solo moniker. Baker first launched Sappho back in 2021 with the shimmering debut single, ‘Flex’ (which thankfully has nothing to do with the gym). “Take me to the frontline where I’ll flex with my heart,” she coos over euphoric keys and crisp percussive accents.

But the blinding jewel in Sappho’s tiara is EP opener and latest single, ‘Scared Angel’. Sappho gleefully shares the dancefloor with Kylie on this one – that sultry, ‘Confide In Me’-inspired spoken-word breakdown! Since there’s such a wealth of bad-girl bangers kicking around, Sappho offers an alternative perspective here: “I’m not a bad girl, I’m just a scared angel.”

‘Accelerate’ employs a sensual, swaying pace while Sappho woos a love interest through lyrics (even teasing a date at the zoo). Elsewhere, ‘Trouble’ shoulder-shimmies with irresistibly cheesy, so-‘90s abandon and ‘Collide’ finds Sappho indulging in some imaginary lovin’ over a seductive, pulsing beat. Need five new tracks to freshen-up your Elegant Poolside Soirée playlist? Sappho’s got you.

Label: Ivy League Records Release date: 29 July

There’s only a few simmering seconds of atmospheric drone before Outright unleash full fury all over track one, ‘Truth Teller’. Beautifully brutal from the outset, instrumentation reflects the heavy themes addressed throughout Keep You Warm, such as the impact of colonisation on people and culture (‘Tied Through Time’) and the climate emergency (‘Silent Spring’): “Skewed by our recent bias/ Instead of trusting the science.” With its title referencing the witchcraft handbook Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer Of Witches), ‘The Hammer’ was “born from the frustration of an abuser not taking accountability for their actions”, according to badass vocalist Jelena Goluza. This lead single sets a breakneck pace, thanks to Rory Kelaart’s relentless drumming, as Goluza bellows, “Saviour of Satan when it suits!” Then on the band’s follow-up single ‘Burn’, Goluza rages about the normalisation of burnout: “I won’t set myself on fire, just to keep you warm.” From thrash metal to melodic punk, Outright’s second full-length is dynamically exhilarating, with this outstanding Melbourne hardcore outfit even entering stoner-rock territory on standout track ‘The Call’: a monumental, lurching, seven-and-a-half-minute beast featuring surprisingly catchy, fuzz-drenched riffs and euphonic vocals that weigh in like a Greek chorus: “Fear of the known/ Is a horror show.”

Using Outright as her weapon, Goluza – an impassioned spokesperson for the silenced – says no to complacency. Keep You Warm is an incendiary listening experience.

Label: Rage And Reason Records Release date: 15 July

Sometimes it’s not just an artist’s songs, but also their very essence and everything they represent that further endear them to us. Such is the case with Alex The Astronaut (aka Alexandra Lynn); it’s her irresistible candour that draws us in.

The Arcade Fire-level winsome ‘Airport’ was inspired by a trip Alex took to the States to visit her dog Martin, who she hadn’t seen for four years, which resulted in “the best reunion ever”: “I’ve loved you. All. This. Time”– ouch, my heart!

Alex has said she watched My Octopus Teacher at a time when she felt embarrassed about her autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Afterwards, she processed her messy feelings through song and latest single ‘Octopus’ spilled out. Simultaneously cute and heartcrushing (kinda like the accompanying film clip, which never fails to make our eyes leak), this song’s lyrics should form the basis of a children’s book: “Trying so hard to blend in/ I forgot I had something to give” – a delightful reminder to embrace and champion individuality.

Obsessing over details and being eternally curious is what makes Alex The Astronaut’s song-worlds so incredibly evocative. And it comes as no surprise to learn that hearing Paul Kelly’s ‘They Thought I Was Asleep’ – as a six-yearold relegated to the backseat in her parents’ car – is one of Alex’s earliest music memories.

Label: Warner Release date: 22 July