As King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are set to release their debut album, Ocean Grove offshoot The Murlocs are set to release their brashly titled Tee Pee EP; their second in six months.
In their short life they’ve found themselves right amongst a garage scene which spans the Princess Highway; most pointedly earning themselves a spot on Anti-Fade’s recent ‘New Centre of the Universe’ mixtape with Dick Diver, UV Race and The Frowning Clouds.
Their garage is sweaty and cocksure. They don’t really peel much back, instead opting for crashing cymbals and blistering harmonica solos throughout all five songs.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s Mikey Smith helmed the recording booth, and manages to keep the band sounding as fuzzed and freewheelin’ as they should. The rhythm section is tight without sounding stiff and the guitars scuzz and swirl, giving Ambrose Kenny-Smith a messy bed to howl over – and howl he does!
His high-register growl has earned him a likeness to both Janis Joplin and Etta James, and being the son of The Dingoes’ Broderick Smith, he’s pretty fierce on the harmonica. His song’s stories are pretty straightforward, ripping on girls and squares.
On ‘Fake Disguise’ Kenny-Smith quips, “do up your suit and tie/ that’s how you choose to hide.” At times it can be hard to decipher what he’s singing, but the times when he’s just humming a melody; as in the chorus’ to both ‘Tee Pee’ and ‘Manny’s Bar’ are total highlights.
In the end it doesn’t matter what’s being said, it’s how it feels. And The Murlocs feel good.
– Alastair Matcott
