Northeast Party House may only be made up of five people, but they represent a whole lot more. The collective personify the tens of thousands of Australians under the age of 25 – and their music is a beautiful, frenzied ode to being young and rebellious.
Their debut album, Any Given Weekend, attempts to squeeze out a more mature sound than their previous self-titled EP, while still running parallel to the Bloc Party-esque feel that they exploded onto the scene with almost four years ago.
From the first minute, it’s clear that lead singer Zac Hamilton-Reeves and his four companions mean business; a thumping bass drum greets the listener on lead single and opening track, ‘The Haunted’. From then on, it’s a relentless 38 minutes filled with dark and brooding synths, club-ready beats, and oh so much cowbell.
The Uni student anthem, ‘Youth Allowance’, features cowbell and a bout of glorified, disorganised chaos. Indeed, the combination of a five-piece band with loud, invasive instruments often leads to creative instrumental ideas and infectious choruses.
With that said, the second half of the album is slightly weaker than the first. Final tracks such as ‘Fake Friends’ and ‘Valium’ seem to be little more than recycled versions of earlier songs, suggesting that a more experimental and expansive sound could lead to a stronger follow-up album.
Northeast Party House officially joined forces under their current moniker as a result of their high school friend Sam Northeast (get it?) throwing a massive two-week party at his parents’ house. It was from this gathering that they were born, and if Any Given Weekend is any indication, the band will still be partying for quite some time.
Listen to ‘The Haunted’ from Any Given Weekend here (out Friday May 16th via Stop/Start):
