Melbourne's music scene has long been a fertile ground for experimentation, and the arrival of Sudden Debt's self-titled debut album on New Weird Australia is a testament to that enduring spirit. This isn't your average rock record; instead, the trio navigates a captivating sonic landscape that blurs the lines between bleak pop, minimalist post-punk, and dissonant noise-rock. The result is an offering that is at once hypnotically abstract and strangely danceable, stripping music back to its rawest, most unflinching, and intimate form.
'Sudden Debt' feels less like a meticulously planned endeavour and more like an organic evolution. It's the product of instinct and limitation, which, paradoxically, seems to have granted the band total creative freedom. There was no rigid blueprint, no assigned roles, and certainly no pre-determined agenda. As bandleader Jonathon McCarthy aptly puts it, "There were no preconceptions about who played what, what it would sound like. Only getting in a room. The LP is what we wrote. We tried to shape and guide it over the years, it didn't work. This is what we sound like and could only sound like."
This ethos is evident throughout the album. Vocals, often improvised in a single take or pieced together from fragments of stream-of-consciousness, lend an immediate yet elusive quality. Instrumentals, meanwhile, are twisted through a fascinating array of effects – tremolo, delay, drum pads, and vocal effects – creating textures that are both familiar and disorienting.
Following extensive touring with his previous outfit, Heart Beach, McCarthy embarked on a quest for a new project, reaching out to almost 50 old friends with an open invitation to create. The band that ultimately coalesced, including members of Ivy St, was born from chemistry and a shared desire to experiment rather than any pre-existing vision. This organic formation is palpable in the cohesive yet unconstrained sound of 'Sudden Debt'.
Adding another layer to the album's story is its recording location. 'Sudden Debt' was captured at Head Gap studios just before the tragic fire that destroyed the beloved Melbourne institution. Recorded, mixed, mastered, and produced by Finn Keane, the album now stands as a poignant sonic relic, imbued with the history of its creation. For fans of adventurous music seeking something truly original, 'Sudden Debt' is an essential listen – a testament to the power of instinct and the beauty found in embracing the unexpected.
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