- A Google search, the online and modern day medium of “they say” quips and proverbs, will tell you that first impressions last. When thinking back to a 2017 visit to The Bearded Lady I’d be inclined to agree. Excited and in attendance for a mixed bill to see Julia Why? on a Brisbane visit and all-time favourite Scraps, the sets from them, Bad Bangers and Collapsicon all stellar and disparate, however it was the opening group, Star Slushy, who lingered longest on my mind. It felt strange to have been unaware of them up until then; the band initially began playing a couple years prior, and by now it’s been a demi-decade* (between neologisms, buzzwords and bands Google is both a wellspring and a rabbit hole).
Spikes / Spires is Star Slushy’s debut release on local label Eternal Soundcheck. Just under half-an-hour in length, the group simultaneously explore and explode with their seven song sampler of studio and live recordings. The combination is a direct result of the workflow between (The Bearded Lady’s very own) live sound engineer & producer Nell Forster and vocalist & lead guitarist Jonus Darr, the latter informing the former along the way.
The initial seconds of first track Fire would fit perfectly on an opening credits sequence of a Spaghetti Western, that is until Jonus bursts in “Here I found myself nothing more / Mash potatoes kitchen floor”, immediately reorienting us as to precisely where this sound comes from. Whether literal and experiential, metaphorical or referential Kitchen’s Floor springs directly to mind. However instead of swaying and thrashing, as you would spinning Battle Of Brisbane, an urge to dance quickly overwhelms… all of this within the first minute.
Standout and somewhat self-titled track Star Slushy S/Way opens with an incredibly propulsive and memorable bassline. Its fuzziness and catchiness are complemented by a driving-but-dancy drum beat, skronking guitars and eviscerating vocals from Xanthe Peters, creating an irresistible yet treacherous atmosphere. All elements combined result in a rapturous energy; fittingly as though The Rapture and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks cohabitated down under. Not unlike the respective NYC Dance Punk and No Wave scenes of the aforementioned, it all dissipates, and you hold your breath for its return: “You said you wanted just one slice / And now you’re back for the whole cake”. What follows is a shrieked directive: “sink unless you have to swim”.
It is easy to imagine hearing these songs live; the sometimes improvised and ad-lib elements within their music coupled with the fluid sound both captured and preserved by Nell & Jonus results in a transportive experience. The result is communal and, though at times abrasive, fun-loving. Both terms could aptly describe cults of years gone by but the band takes aim towards the end of the release. Liner notes included for the penultimate track Birthday Cult are cryptic, citing an FBI investigation into a Washington D.C-based organisation “The Finders”. With documents as recently disclosed as October 2019 it is clear that in tandem with creating their own world through their music, Star Slushy are engaged, outward-looking and Google-using.
After supporting Lydia Lunch Retrovirus on their last show in Australia earlier this year Star Slushy’s Spikes / Spires doesn’t so much leave me longing for New York as stir in me a great excitement and curiosity at what is to come right here in Brisbane.
- Chris Preindl.