EP: Always On ARTIST: The Dollar Bill Murrays Perhaps you’re already acquainted with alt-rockers The Dollar Bill Murrays (they’re the current kids kicking around as Artist Spotlight) – but if you’re yet to experience the fierce fuzz from this Brisbane quartet, their latest EP ‘Always On’ will pretty much seal the deal.
Across five tracks on their sophomore EP, the band flaunt their knack for crafting catchy ear-worms dressed as grungy soundscapes. Oozing hefty riffs and pounding percussion, there’s no hiding the tinge of swagger borrowed from the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, etc. But the Brissie boys have not only stamped out their own sound, they’ve managed to create a unique mix of thrashing rock highs and seductive slow burns that sets them apart from the crowded sea of indie rockers right now. “Boost the mids” is how the band once described themselves, and oh boy do they deliver – the album is dripping in overdrive, and the big crescendos pack a wallop courtesy of smoky riffs and oversized drums underneath singer Felix Lindgren’s raw vocals. First cab off the rank is the thrashy toe-tapper ‘The More You Know’, before laying down some sleek and haunting vibes with ‘I Want Everything’. Coming in third, ‘In My Head’ finds the band at its most low key – but this is in no way a negative, with zippy percussion and gloomy rhythm guitar that builds into a crashing chorus. ‘Medicine’ explodes next with snarling riffs and so much fuzz it’ll put hairs on your chest. Finishing off is the slightly acoustic ‘My Friend, The Sky’ – and while seemingly out of place against the rest of the album at times, sure enough it builds to a skull-splitting crescendo that rounds out ‘Always On’ nicely. Underneath the heaving beats and crunching tones is an album dealing with a hyper-connected world, with singer Felix Lindgren explaining the songs are “a conversation between two different points of view: one doesn’t know what life is about, in a confused state where they can’t see what’s in front of their own two eyes, and the other one has found a meaning”. Overall, ‘Always On’ is a solid offering of hazy rock anthems with a soul – and in case their name didn’t make it clear they may be the coolest guys in town, The Dollar Bill Murrays have also released some limited-edition cassette tapes of their new album:
If you haven’t already, go check out The Dollar Bill Murray tackle some of life's important questions like if pineapple should be on a pizza and a whole lot more over at the Artist Spotlight – and go give their EP ‘Always On’ a whirl, links below for more info: EP RELEASE DATE: 4th May, 2017 GENRE(S): Alternative Rock/Fuzz Rock STREAM THE EP: https://soundcloud.com/thedollarbillmurrays/sets/always-on-ep PURCHASE CASSETTES: https://valleyheatrecords.bandcamp.com/album/always-on-ep-cs
THE DOLLAR BILL MURRAYS WEBSITE: http://www.thedollarbillmurrays.com/