Amyl and the Sniffers - Monsoon Rock

After three UK tours and a record deal with Rough Trade, Everyone’s favourite mullet-clad Aussie punks have finally dropped their debut album – and it’s about as subtle as a molotov cocktail through a car windscreen.

Opener ‘Starfire 500’ starts with a two minute instrumental that’s straight out of a hair metal classic, before lead singer Amy’s vocals kick in with all the snarling fury you’ve come to expect. The rest of the album doesn’t let up, with all 11 tracks done and dusted in under half an hour. It’s a Blitzkrieg approach which will leave you reeling the first couple of times you listen to it, but did anyone really expect subtlety and nuance?

What has changed is the production value, with one-take garage style classic ‘Cup of Destiny’ sounding much better (but just as loud) now that’s it’s been given a bit of a polish. Nothing’s been cleaned up too much though, the album’s still scrappy, sweaty, mosh pit material – perfect for throwing pints and leaping around to.

‘Amyl and the Sniffers’ doesn’t stray much from the tried and tested punk formula, and it isn’t exactly going to change anyone’s mind on the band, but with a track called ‘Go Fuck Yourself’ (abbreviated to GFY), you get a sense that they don’t really care about reaching out to the nonbelievers. As it stands, it’s an album that does exactly what you’d expect and does it extremely well. Looks like it’s time to grow a mullet and start drinking VB, because this one’s a ripper.

Jake Hawkes