Surfy, post-punk rock is the name of the game for Sydney foursome The Upskirts, who showcase a more developed sound on their second EP Disconnection.
While their first release Vacations felt like a frenetic mish mash of all their influences, Disconnection is starting to head in a more original direction.
Opening track ‘Easy Lad,’ for example, is characteristic of a group in transition; it’s not something you’ve never heard before, but has a nice sense of building suspense, a dark inflection, and some interesting lyrics about rich kids.
Polo tops, references to toilet blocks and “chicks digging it” is a little too teenage angst, but the backing is quite rich and varied, with a strong instrumental towards the end of the track.
On ‘Crimes And Pastimes’, The Upskirts are a little less Living End and a little more Black Keys with a fast fuzzy intro and another wild but tight instrumental in the back half.
The Upskirts have a strong foundation to work on for when they do eventually release a full length album, and kudos to whoever decided they should bust out some shorter releases before taking the full plunge.
The strategy is definitely helping their sound develop, and while they’re not 100% there yet, they’re well on their way.
