Album review by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Melbourne’s King Parrot has released a new album A Young Persons Guide To King Parrot and it is their first new album in five years. Their promotion on Bandcamp states that the 10 new songs are “a hostile and abrasive slab of sensory destroying anthems”. After listening to the first three songs ‘Get What Ya Given’, ‘Fuck You And The Horse Your Rode In On’ and ‘Cunning As A Dunny Rat’: I wondered – so is this punk, metal or grindcore? A mix of all three? There are two essential ingredients that is the Australian vernacular and sense of humour. But I ask myself: how will it play out to those overseas audiences? Will they get it!
What they will get is the distorted guitars, the big drum beats, furious blasts of vocals. I mean this band does not ease the listener in. The album kicks off with a ball to the face and chaos as ‘Get What Ya Given’ is delivered. The energy cranks up for ‘Fuck You And The Horse Your Rode In On’ and ‘Cunning As A Dunny Rat’ as the razor sharp guitar riffs and drums spit out venomous lyrics.
The next two tracks ‘It’s a Rort’ with their “When the going gets tough, you can go and get fucked” and ‘Punish The Runt’ have huge drum barrages and more of those guttural vocals. Then, a sharp guitar solo turns up and you’re half way through the album and it’s a bit like a steam train spewing coal dust and clouds of water vapour has been driven through your speakers. It’s been a bit unrelenting and completely unexpected!!!
I am new – very new – to King Parrot’s “grindin’ thrashin’ punk rock wrecking machine” sonic attack and vibe. For those like me, who know nothing, the band consists of Matthew Young (vocals), Ari White (guitar), Wayne Slattery (bass), Andrew Livingstone-Squires (aka Squizz on guitar) and new drummer Max Dangerfield.
The next five tracks are not any easier than the first five on the sonic scale. It’s ugly, uncompromising, ugly, brutal and direct. The cocaine-fuelled ‘Target Pig Elite’ is off its face. ‘I Got The Right’ starts with a big bassline groove that you think may bring calm until it violently turns on you. Then, tight and intense guitar work rock in with ‘Look Away I’m Hideous’ it’s ugly and aggressive. I can see the pit now!
It’s not pretty when ‘Glazed And Diseased In Defeat’ starts in and it’s quite shouty. The album closes out with ‘Pissing On The Fist Of The Law’ and I am not sure what this means but I think it’s a call to teen rebellion – that might be hard to get across to the TikTok crew – selfishness yes – rebelling for social good – maybe not so much – is there money in it? Rather than ending snappishly, the song slowly unwinds like a broken clock, as the vocals and instruments fade away and bring the auditory assault to an end.
If you love your punk music wild and on the verge of out of control. Then, A Young Persons Guide To King Parrot might be for you.
