Marty K & the Electric Hurricanes have an unique ability to take a sonic snapshot of the seventies with a prog rock genetic code and deliver something cathartic and satisfying for our times. Last time we met them, they released the psychedelic blast of ‘Rattle Snakes and Bones’ (read my review here). The follow up, ‘Ride The Waves’ featuring singer/songwriter Rosa Rico on vocals, is another psych-infused blast of sonic goodness that soars for seven minutes through an anthemic playground.
Like a mix of Pink Floyd and a James Bond theme song, this track struts and swaggers its way through the ether with the angelic, fulsome vocals of Rico soaring with drama and presence on the back of the wildest guitar, trembling with a wah wah pedal and a tonne of grit. The chaotic collapse at the end creates an explosive denouement. Marty K says of the track:
This is a song about hope, about moving forward and embracing change, leaving the past behind
and facing the never ending onslaught of challenges in life. Written during the Melbourne
lockdowns, it was my first collaboration with Rosa Rico. Conceptually I was looking to write a song
that expressed the cyclical nature of life. The natural ebb and flow of good & bad times and how
time itself eventually evens these out. What at first appears as a negative event can often turn out
to set you on the right path or lead to great things. I think the trick is to be impartial to these events,
pick your moment and see where they lead and what good can be taken from them.
Although I already had some of the concept and title worked out Rosa’s lyrics added a depth and
clarity to these ideas and explored deeper territory. It really brought a weight and emotion to the
song and when I heard her sing the chorus for the first time I was blown away.
The result is an uplifting, euphoric anthem that transports the listener:
There is a wild and untrammeled euphoric feel to this material that is contagious.
‘Ride The Wave’ will be on the band’s album to be released later this year through Loaded Music Group and is available through all the usual downloading and streaming sites tomorrow (Friday, 25 March).
Marty Kawaler (the man behind the band) is a blues & rock guitarist/producer from St Kilda, Australia. He got his start in the Melbourne underground & alternative scenes and has toured Australia with various bands. In 2011 he formed Ten Thousand and achieved success releasing an EP, album a well as producing and directing many of the bands music videos. This culminated in several national tours. He went on to record with legendary producer Lindsay Gravina (Jet, Spiderbait, The Living End) and his music has been featured on Triple J, Triple M and International radio. His music has also been featured on TV and several feature films and he received a nomination for best rock song at the Australian Independent Music awards in 2013.
Feature Photograph: Mati Kay
