Welcome to The Weekly Riff, where every Friday arvo, BLUNT looks back at five of the sickest and spiciest tunes that dropped throughout the week that was!
ANDREW W.K. – ‘STAY TRUE TO YOUR HEART’
Starting off with bold, thumping synth beats, the new single from old mate Andy’s just-released sixth album, God Is Partying, quickly breaks into a soaring, cinematic epic upon its first chorus. It’s dynamic, it’s energising, and it wields a great message – because you should, in fact, stay true to your heart.
>> KEEP READING: The BLUNT review of God Is Partying <<
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS – ‘HERTZ’
Especially for us here in the parts of Australia currently under lockdown, the chorus of this brisk and belting pub-punk rager really does say it all: “Take me to the beach, take me to the country / Climb in the backseat if you love me / Hire me a car, I wanna go driving / Climb in the backseat, that’s where you’ll find me.” Amy Taylor said in a press release that she had written the song before COVID wreaked havoc on the world, but landing when it has, the frontwoman’s vicious and visceral yells on the cut feel especially poignant. Also, the film clip for this one is fucking rad.
>> KEEP READING: The BLUNT review of Comfort To Me <<
FANGZ – ‘I DON’T LIKE ME’
Echoing the highlights of an old-school Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack, this angst-driven anthem is all about those big, biting drum fills and tearing riffs – if at the next show Fangz play it doesn’t end up spurring the entire crowd into one giant circle pit, we’ll be truly shocked. ‘I Don’t Like Me’ is the Sydney quartet’s third single for the year (after ‘Self Medicate’ and ‘Prove Me Wrong’) and like both of its predecessors, has us desperate for a full-length Fangz album.
>> KEEP READING: 5 things to know about the new Fangz jam <<
ILLUMINATI HOTTIES – ‘THREATENING EACH OTHER RE: CAPITALISM’
The title for this emo-tinted indie-rock scorcher couldn’t be more straight forward, with frontwoman Sarah Tudzin confirming in a press release that it “makes haste of a machine by which we’ve all been fooled, as well as the people who have fooled themselves into thinking they’ve not participated in it”. Capitalism is undoubtedly evil and has decimated countless positive aspects of human life (not to mention the billions of those lives it’s claimed altogether), so this track offers a nice bit of contrast – it’s honey-sweet and summery, with melodies that will get stuck in your head immediately.
REAL FRIENDS – ‘TEETH (FULL BAND)’
The original mix of ‘Teeth’ landed at the tail end of August, and with its clean, glassy acoustic noodling and layered vocals unfettered by effects, put a downright striking spin on Real Friends’ typically explosive pop-punk sound. But of course, since then there’s been that question of “what if?” lingering on our tongues – what if it wasn’t a heartrending acoustic cut? Well, it looks like we’re in luck: there’s a full-band version of ‘Teeth’ now. It’s a gut-punching tune with oodles of emotion, but now we also headbang to it, so… Win win!
