Sydney’s Straight Arrows come roaring back today with ‘MIDDLEMAN’, a song that doesn’t knock on the door so much as kick it off the hinges and ask why you ever bothered pretending to be civil in the first place. It’s garage punk stripped to the nerve, all clenched teeth and sweat-slick momentum, a beat that shoves you forward whether you’re ready or not. The vocals sound like they’ve been dragged through a blown speaker and shouted back at the room, and that’s exactly the point.
Flip the record and ‘DO THE SLOTH’ slouches in wearing a wrinkled surf shirt, a warped little 60s throwback that moves at its own stubborn pace. It’s cheeky, and impossible not to move to, even if the movement involves exaggerated hips and a vague Austin Powers impression. Straight Arrows don’t just know their history, they mess with it, twist it, and leave fingerprints all over the grooves.
Listen HERE.
The double release arrives on 7-inch vinyl via Goodbye Boozy, long-standing champions of underground guitar music, and is available digitally through Rice Is Nice. Together, the two tracks underline Straight Arrows’ understanding of momentum, restraint and humour within the tight framework of garage punk.
Catch Straight Arrows at these upcoming gigs:
Sunday Jan 25 @ Summer Crawl
Factory Theatre Outdoor Stage, Sydney, doors noon.
INFO HERE
Friday Jan 30 & Underground A-Go-Go
The Grand Hotel, Newcastle, doors 8pm
INFO HERE
And Japan in March!
March 24 – Club Heavy Sick, Tokyo
March 25 – Green Apple, Tokyo
March 27 – Pop! Pizza, Kyoto
March 29 – Music Bar Journey, Yokohama
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