<p><span><span>- Laying it all out there for anyone to see, comment on and interpret is not something artists often do. Sure, you will hear “It’s up to the listener to decide what the song is about” or “I think it best to let the song speak for itself” or “I like to leave some mystery covered, don’t you”. That’s all well and good and has been going on for decades in music, art, and literature. It’s refreshing, then, when an artist says point-blank, “We’re an open book and so is this album.” Formerly of Wollongong, now based in Melbourne <strong>Heather Riley</strong> and <strong>Jono Tooke</strong> created Cry Club<strong> </strong>some three or so years back and their debut album <em>God I’m Such A Mess</em> traces their time together writing and performing. That was first in and around the ‘Gong and Sydney then on to Melbourne and a burgeoning fan base that flocked to various festivals where they featured on the line-up, only to have 2020’s twin behemoths of bushfire and pandemic cruel any chance of growing that following. All on the cusp of releasing this collection of twelve tracks, at least half of them reasonably well-known to the indie-pop listening audience in Australia.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As a duo, the sound is firmly based in the wall of sound that Tooke creates with guitars, keyboards and drums blending with Riley’s powerhouse vocals that are “sweet sounding” but at the same time rip through you like a siren at full bore. Kicking off the set is one of their first singles, <em>DFTM</em> – an angry little number that never loses its appeal and could easily stand as an anthem for the #MeToo movement. <em>One Step </em>keeps the energy high and layers the sound thickly but without it getting too dense to pull out the lyrics that Riley puts forward. This is further explored on <em>Don’t Go</em>,<em> </em>the song that actually created Cry Club when Tooke required someone to write lyrics to a riff he’d created and Riley supplied a set of words that pretty much sum up the confusion of falling in love, or not falling in love, or maybe it’s just something friendly-like.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The powering pop-punk vibe keeps rolling on with another one of the singles <em>Obvious</em> which is a bundle of fun complete with an audience friendly “chant along” chorus and lyrically is the embodiment of the album’s title; though the title actually pops up later in <em>Quit</em> which drives another set of contemplations about a relationship that could be falling apart due to the excesses of life and could be saved by a sacrifice of sorts. It’s one of the cleverer lyrics on the album co-written with <strong>Zachary Hamilton-Reeves</strong> of <strong>Northeast Party House</strong>. Speaking of clever lyrics, you’d be silly to title a song <em>Robert Smith</em> if you weren’t about to create something that relishes the same dark-gothic word play and style of <strong>The Cure</strong>’s front man. It’s also the song that deviates from the more pop-friendly tune-smithing and has a crunching guitar riff from Tooke kerranging its way throughout the song. There is even a sharp (and correct) dig at <strong>Morrissey</strong> as well. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>There is one quiet moment in the middle of the album, <em>Lighters </em>which showcases the fragility of Riley’s voice artfully auto-tuned while holding to a strong line against an acoustic guitar backing, and it proves Cry Club aren’t some sort of one-trick musical duo. The current single <em>Nine Of Swords</em> is a heady mix of terror and realisation, making it the perfect song for 2020’s horrors, finishing on the line “<em>Don’t know why it has to be always so hard.</em>” Preach! As the kids say…</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Riley and Tooke are well guided by two experienced sets of hands behind the studio control panel, produced by <strong>Gab Strum</strong> (<strong>Japanese Wallpaper</strong>) and mixed by <strong>Scott Horscroft</strong> (<strong>The Presets, Silverchair</strong>) and there is also something of ex-pat Australian <strong>Jessica-Ann Newham </strong>aka <strong>Betty Who</strong> in the way Riley inhabits the vocal lines on the big numbers. It is possible that like her, Cry Club could find a sizable market in the USA, appealing to both the college radio market and the indie-queer audience, who have already taken Cry Club to their hearts here in Australia. A case of that audience finally praising and supporting artists who openly and unashamedly acknowledge their own place in that community. Complete with a comically garish album cover that reminds one of the Peter Learmouth TV comedy series <em>Let Them Eat Cake </em>(featuring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders), Cry Club are anything but a mess.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Blair Martin.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1266562700/size=large/bgcol=f…; seamless><a href="https://cryclub.bandcamp.com/album/god-im-such-a-mess-2">God I'm Such A Mess by Cry Club</a></iframe>