Cosmic Psychos: Mountain Of Piss | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- A delayed record from Cosmic Psychos is leaps and bounds better than no new Cosmic Psychos’ record at all so I had no qualms in waiting. Brewed in 2019 and bottled with the finishing touches before the world shat the bed, the record was placed on the very top shelf for safe keeping. During its sojourn collecting dust, I’d like to think all the flavours and elements fermented in their own juices with the passing of time. Now, Mountain of Piss is being released for public consumption and what a glorious experience it is. With all the elements we’ve come to know and love from a Cosmic Psychos' record, this brand spanker solidifies the band, as the album cover displays, etched into a mountain and true national monuments.

I mean, who aside from national monuments can open an album with a song about accountants and make it rip as much as Accountant Song does? Bloody no one, I tells ya! Drums gallop into the fray before that all too familiar grimy guitar snarl sinks its teeth in. So much joy is born of no frills riffs and Mountain of Piss revels in this simple pleasure. Pairing these blaring pub-punk instrumentals with a single word or phrase for the chorus is always a terrific ensemble. The accompaniment is comparable to red wine with a steak, white wine with fish and a durry with a glass pie on the verandah of the pub.

In a slight departure from blunt force forwardness, Dickson is a buzzy, slap-dash memoriam of a trip to a Canberran suburb, equipped with a tinny melody that barely gets its nose above the mix. If my Australian history or geography was better I could determine if the names rattled off were advocates for Federation or surrounding suburbs of Dickson. Back to a familiar tannin for our palette, Dunny Seat is a wonderfully daft rebellion anyone who stands to piss has unwittingly engaged in. The midway cry of defiance slides smoothly into a compact solo and cascades quickly towards the close. Parts of the record have a lackadaisical, near spoken delivery that gives their yob narratives more room to tickle your ribs as Too Old To Drink At Pubs and Rude Man regale us with shitty experiences we can all empathise and relate to.

Sin Bin was positioned as the lead single for the record, and to quote that bloke from The Simpsons - and with good cause. A bare bones blueprint of what the Psychos do so well played with ample piss and vinegar. Going back to what I mentioned earlier, the chorus has a slim eight words in total and it works so well. Adding to the call and response in the first verse, you can place a multi on how over this song will be and how many poor schooners will be lost to the mosh. The record closes out with the trio going all doom on us as Dumb trudges on concrete boots while repeating insults to people who look at phones and computers and all that.

Its about high time we carve a Mt. Rushmore style mural to Cosmic Psychos somewhere, really. The trio remain atop their game in mixing, brewing, and delivering raucous pub-punk that use its inherent simplicity to the utmost effect. Mountain of Piss is a perfect example of the old adage of “difficulty of five, execution of ten”. We need to get a wriggle on in etching the Psychos faces onto the side of Parliament House, or Q1, or even on the side of Castlemaine Brewery so their weathered mugs can look over Lang Park forever. Just hurry up and do it before they get old and wrinkly, would ya?

- Matt Lynch.
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