Fremantle punk trio Hideous Sun Demon dropped their ripping third full length Fame Erotic Dream last Friday. It’s an album that’s a relentless ride in every respect highlighted by its exceptional rhythm section, fiercely delivered vocals and kaleidoscopic guitar sounds that can go from full widescreen to spiky in the blink of an eye. This represents the band’s determination to add more nuance and guts to their compositions and the recording process respectively. Overwhelmingly of a punk aesthetic in every way, shape and form, the band also borrows from garage, psych and surf rock and does everything, musically and lyrically with a knowing snarl and a big fuck you to convention.
With an album that is ultra consistent and rarely deviates from its modus operandi of delivering catchy compositions as energetically as possible every track could be taken as a highlight. But standouts from the record nevertheless include the urgent off melodies of opening track and first single ‘Antithesis’ which rails against arseholes who think they’re good people despite continually fucking people off and the raucous squall of follow up ‘Hard Out’, a track about the ever growing problem of anxiety, one getting worse in this brave new world of neoliberalism where society is controlled by a market that makes a shit load out of making people insecure.
The acerbic ‘Ssppuunnkk’ is a first class rant against vain concrete headed men who, forever drenched in cologne and preening themselves in gym mirrors, forlornly try to prop up their fragile male ego by throwing their toxic brand of masculinity around and treating women like objects and ornaments because that’s as far as their emotional maturity will extend. ‘Social Media Deities’ has that classic low end surf punk vibe while the best track on the album is ‘Crap Revelations’. It one of many contrasts; between the deadpan harmonies of the verse and their frenzied equivalent in the chorus, the thrill of the constant change up in groove and the distinction between raw power and the utilisation of space.
Fame Erotic Dream is out on Hell Beach Records. Vinyl and digital here. The band is currently on a national tour which wraps up later this month with some dates back in the West in September. They hit this city of Adelaide this Thursday August 2 at the Ed Castle. Tickets for that here. Tour poster with dates is below the Billy Bowen directed video for ‘Antithesis’.
Antithesis
Hideous Sun Demon (AUS)
From the album ‘Fame, Erotic, Dream,’ Hell Beach.
Audio Stream
Official Video
TOUR POSTER
