- West Thebarton has created more buzz than a sawmill for their debut album Different Beings Being Different and it lives up to the hype. It’s not as if the band themselves have fabricated this hype but it is a reasonable consequence to expect when the singles have been so electric. West Thebarton have produced a solid album that’s loud, engaging, raw and will definitely itch that scratch that the singles have produced.
The Adelaide seven-piece band have been solidly working for the last few years, establishing themselves as a hardworking and electric live act. When you’re playing the high intensity music that West Thebarton create it’s impossible to not replicate that energy in a live setting and they built a steady reputation as a premier garage band. They've harnessed that energy and compiled it into a tight eleven track record that is paced just right.
The album kicks off with Moving Out an older track that sets the sound of the record and is a no holds barred guitar fuelled belter. The intensity does get dialled up a notch on a one minute thirty-five second expletive filled rant against the mainstream with Basic. The next three tracks of Stuck on You, Gough and Bible Camp are all big tracks, two of which are singles. Reverend Ray's raspy roar of “ I’ll paint the sky blue for you” was sung so earnestly and filled with such passion that it connected with the audience in a big way and brought major attention to the group. It’s at this point that you need a little something different to break up the album and that comes in the form of the longest track here, Reasons. It’s a slow burning number that builds and culminates in a loud punching bridge with a guitar solo weaving its way through the heavy fuzz guitars. It’s also nice to see a bit more of Rev’s range with his vocals. It’s still raspy -don’t get me wrong- but does impressively show more texture to what he can do with his voice.
The next few songs race past with blistering intensity and admittedly at some point the same elements do blend into each other a bit. I do thoroughly enjoy it though: the tight and snapping drums of Caitlin Thomas, big riffs, thundering bass chords are all staples that West Thebarton have seemed to really master. It’s the last song on the record Set It Straight that has a happier sounding tone to end things on an optimistic note. It’s slower paced and after such a fast-paced album that gives a breath of respite, like a moment in a mosh pit where you just smile and start hugging your mates.
Different Beings Being Different is an apt title: Australia seems to be in a hard rock revival yet West Thebarton feel different and in a damn good way. It's pure intense passion that hits you in a guttural way, like it grabs you by the shirt and screams in your face but with a Cheshire grin to crown the unrestrained wildness. It should be turned up loud, roared along with till your voice gives out and it shows that the hard work West Thebarton have put in over the years has massively paid off.
- Jack McDonnell.