Signed to Wayne Connolly’s prestigious Scenic Drive Records, we at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia have long been fans of The Nagging Doubts, admiring their post punk/new wave sound that has an antipodean flavour and a genetic code that, despite their tender age, goes all the way back to Velvet Underground. We are therefore thrilled to premiere their new single ‘All To You’ in anticipation of a debut album on the way.
‘All To You’ combines a visceral edge with sweet melodies delivered by bassist Ruby King. According to the band, it is:
It is a plea to remain tender in the face of life’s realities, for we will all die soon anyway
This fatalistic viewpoint is delivered through a thundering driving bass and drums before jingle jangle guitars support King’s dissociated vocals – soft and back in the mix with a shoegaze fugue – with a scaling euphoric chorus bursting through like a ray of sunshine through stormy clouds. There is a delightfully fey delivery and the guitars and other instruments provide dappled sounds across the horizon. Elements of MBV and Slowdive can be detected in the distance, but with a pop sensibility and laconic antipodean style.
At the end, a slight deviation occurs as male vocals enter and the song swerves and fades in a psychedelic haze, slightly discordant and mesmerising. It’s brilliant exciting stuff from a band that just gets better with each release.
The song is accompanied by a shaky hand-held footage of the band in performance and in and around an urban setting and across various landscapes – coasting freely like the song itself with a gentle pace.
‘All To You’ is out tomorrow (Friday, 14 November) and you can pre-save it now here.
It comes off the band’s forthcoming debut album ‘Panic Growth’ and there will be a launch gig for the vinyl at the cool Trocadero Room in Sydney on Saturday, 6 November joined by local Sydney bands Telopia and Warmer – tickets available here. The band has been working with Wayne Connolly throughout the year, balancing music with work and study and adding the final touches to the album.
