The Melbourne punk outfits third album widens its sonic influences without losing the band’s distinct raucousness.
Emerging from the late-2010’s Melbourne’s punk scene, Amyl and the Sniffers were never going to be a band to reinvent the wheel. But what they lacked in originality was more than made up for in energy and charisma. The fourpiece’s first two albums – 2019’s self-titled debut and 2021’s follow-up Comfort To Me – laid bare a three-chord flashback to ‘70s pub rock. Despite the limitations, the music was exciting and in your face: hyper Aussie red neck vibes furthered by Amy Taylor’s classic yet unique rock ‘n’ roll frontwoman persona.
They’ve carried this unpretentious punk appeal into third album Cartoon Darkness. A record that allows for sonic evolution, melodic progression and self-reflection without compromising the band’s customary raucousness. Produced at Foo Fighters 606 Studio in Los Angeles with famed English producer Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Talking Heads), a subtle dash of polish compliments their gritty aesthetic.
If anything, the album cover - shot in a grubby carpark showing Amy flashing her chest and band members in mullets and sliders - suggests a distinct lack of gloss. And opener ‘Jerkin’ isn’t one for the faint hearted either. With the aggro turned to eleven, Amyl takes aim at online critics in an X-Rated rant of witty and savage put downs: “You’re a dumb c*** / You’re an arsehole / Everytime you talk you mumble, grumble / Need to wipe your mouth after you speak cuz its an arsehole”. Come on Amy, tell us how you really feel!
The contrast into ‘Chewing Gum’ then works a treat. On the poppy mid-tempo second track, venom is replaced by a sugary celebration of youthful love and ignorance. Amy snarls in the chorus: “Life is short, life is fun, and I’m young and so dumb/ I’m stuck on you just like a chewing gum”. There’s a charm to the naivety and a sense of innocence rarely displayed by this band in the past.
The record only gets more explosive as it enters its mid-section. ‘Motorbike Song’ is a thrill a minute rock ‘n’ roll bop worthy of soundtracking a chaotic journey on an, erm, motorbike, while the infectious ‘Doing In Me Head’ contains plenty of sing-along, rabble-rousing. Later, ‘Do It Do It’ offers another pulsating moment, carried by a one-two of frenetic guitar riffs and frantic percussion not exactly a million miles from Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm-era (surely it’s not just me that hears Matt Tong’s drumming here!?)
The price of success has certainly had an impact on Amy Taylor’s lyrical reflections. The swagger remains but this often masks a lack of assuredness that has followed increased scrutiny. For example, ‘Tiny Bikini’ reveals self-consciousness in her on-stage persona. ‘Big Dreams’ again showcases more unexpected vulnerability, relatable to those facing financial struggle: “You got them big dreams, you wanna get out of here / You’re sick of being stuck in the apartment / ya strapped for cash and well, you don’t know where to start”. Her voice front and centre and supported by a simple yet pensive riff, Amy’s heavy brogue carries a surprising punch.
They progress stylistically again on ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’. Upon release, the lead single marked a change in approach from the explosive towards the groove-laden. Amy pokes fun at the sexist attitudes of those criticising her boisterous performances and is carried by the funky bass tones of Gus Romer as well as bluesy guitars that give a heavy nod to Rolling Stones ‘Miss You’.
To finish, ‘Me And The Girls’ is similarly as uncompromising as the opening track. Amy puts a middle finger to “ugly as f***’, X-Box playing boys and empowering females to party and feel-good about themselves. What is great about this closer is that it doesn’t feel too serious nor overthought and it’s a nice, carefree track to depart the album.
Of course, a large part of Cartoon Darkness deals with the paranoia and insecurity that has followed Amyl and the Sniffers growing fame and fortune. The band themselves are still aware of their musical limitations yet progress comes through lyrical depth and a widening of sonic influences. So, without losing their distinct punk identity, Cartoon Darkness is the Melbourne outfit’s most rounded and accessible record yet.
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