The Stress of Leisure launches latest album It Goes Away With The Heat (Valve Records) at the Cave Inn on Friday October 4, alongside McKisko and Locust Revival. The album is a return to the embrace of the tropics for the band. The title is also reflective of the age of hyper-politics we’re all living through. It’s somewhat post-punk, somewhat faux-wave, and unsurprisingly dabbles on the edges of weirdo, as you’d expect from this quartet.
Recorded at Phaedra Studios in Coburg, Melbourne by John Lee (Mod Con, Blake Scott, Laura Jean), the band opted for a rawer more live sound reminiscent of early Modern Lovers recordings: minimal takes, the right energy throughout. It’s reflective of the rawness in the Brisbane music story, the endless humidity, the sweaty passion, the cross pollination of punk and other influences.
‘The world feels like it’s moving too rapidly and, at the same time, it’s moving much too slowly.’ Pascalle Burton (keys/vocals) notes, ‘That’s one thing the album tries to capture. It reminds me of summer storms in Queensland. Full of tension, with brooding heat and simmering quiet between thunderous and dangerous outbursts. On both a human and structural level, I think the songs also probe the impacts of people’s actions on others.’
Locust Revival
Mysterious purveyors of tropical goth post-punk Locust Revival don the leather and shades, and they do rock. Originally conceived on the wrong side of the tracks of Stones Corner, the band started out as the bedroom project of Steven Schnorrer (Barge With An Antenna On It/Pleasure Symbols). The relatively recent addition of Kelly Schinkel (Blussh) on bass and Matt Deasy (Ultra Material) on drums is fantastic and packs a punch. Latest album The New Cure Album in title alone is exactly the tongue-in-cheek wryness you’d come to expect. Their performance at the just held That Sound Over The Fence festival was mighty impressive.
McKisko
Ever since the debut record, 2009’s Glorio, McKisko has continued to entrance audiences. The nom de plume of Helen Franzmann, Helen also plays in Mess Esque with Mick Turner of Dirty Three fame, and tours the world. This is a sublime and adventurous artist in our midsts who keeps making great music and who, if they lived in the more populous northern parts of the world, would be suitably adored on a much vaster scale. 2019 album Southerly proved this beyond doubt, and only drives us to yearn for more!