IN REVIEW: The Chats - "Get Fucked"

 

On The Chats' excellent standalone single AC/DC CD in late 2020, Eamon Sandwith declared their fellow countrymen "the second greatest band in history (and we are first!)"; perhaps it's not surprising, then, that the Aussie punks' second LP takes a page from the AC/DC handbook and falls right in line with what the same basic ingredients they've been using since their inception in 2016. The only noticeable change is in the line-up; Josh Price is replaced by Josh Hardy on guitar, resulting in an overall tone that's a little tougher and riff-oriented.

Otherwise, the band (rounded out by drummer Matt Boggis) are in typical form on Get Fucked; recorded in six short days, the fourteen tracks here (there's a hidden track following Getting Better) represent another batch of fun, loose numbers that barrel ahead at considerable speed and once again focus on the trappings of everyday life. You won't find any deep musings here, nor any convoluted prose. Take highlight Struck By Lightning, which uses a highly energetic performance (punctuated by some top notch doo-wops) to tell the story of the song's protagonist being struck by lightning. Or Ticket Inspector, which scolds the power-hungry authority of the guy whose job it is to verify train tickets (amusingly, from the inspector's point of view). Then there's The Price of Smokes, which could be addressing post-pandemic inflation through the lens of the price of cigarettes, or it could be simply lamenting the rising cost of the consumer/narrator. 

These little slices of life are The Chats' bread and butter, and speak to punks both young and young at heart; who hasn't felt the panic of wanting to tie one on but being held back by a payroll delay, as in Paid Late? Or had that anxiety manifest in a panic attack, as it does on Panic Attack? Who isn't proud of their local pub scene, as Sandwith goes through the list on I've Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane?

Suffice to say, there's no need of a long, drawn out review of Get Fucked, as if you've heard The Chats before you practically know what you're getting; fast, loud, loose and fun, this record is exactly what you've come to expect from The Chats, for better or worse. Personally, I appreciate this record as a palette cleanser, an escape from all the self-important, overblown and overthought music I typically subject myself to, even as I admit that staying in the same place for too long isn't likely to do your career any favours long term. Unless you're AC/DC, of course.

August 19, 2022 • Bargain Bin

Highlights Struck By Lightning • Panic Attack • The Price of Smokes