Press Club – Wasted Energy (Hassle Records)
There’s no wasted energy here as Press Club dive into their second album with the same ferocity that made Late Teens so good.
The Melbourne band sound the same, which is great, but there’s a hint of extra confidence about the four-piece since their debut that makes their fuzzy, fast, highly entertaining brand of music even more enthralling.
One of the lead singles from the album, Thinking About You, is a tune that must have taken courage to write and is about singer Natalie Foster’s experience with a stalker.
Amidst the catchy tune there’s a serious underbelly. “I’m half asleep but I’m still getting you off,” she sings. Press Club aren’t just about shit boys and bad relationships any more. There’s a hard edge to them.
Bassist Iain MacRae says that Press Club are a live band. Nothing gets on the album if they can’t give everything to it on stage – and that’s instantly one of the pulling factors behind this record and this band. You can imagine it now: sweaty, hot, frantic, incredible.
Even when they’re being slower they still bring the noise, the thunder and everything in between. Frank Lees behind the drums conjures up the most delicious noise with minimal effort – see Obsessing for a case in point.
When it came to writing Wasted Energy, Press Club didn’t mess about. Record it live, get that raw energy present on the record, bash out a lot of songs and then pick the best.
And it’s working.
Press Club don’t do much by halves. With over 200 gigs played in every area of Australia plus a UK/European tour under their belt, the Melbourne foursome have also cracked two albums out in under a year.
They work hard, play hard and create music that gets into your soul and doesn’t quit. That’s why you should love them.