Review Summary: The Volatiles have all the chops to be the next band to move from Melbourne’s pubs to bigger stages, all that’s missing is more mature songwriting and a less derivative sound.
Garage rock is an overcrowded genre, for decades there have been bands slogging it out in their local scene with little or no reward. There’s always going to be a group of four guys somewhere smashing out old fashioned punk rock tunes during the day before gigging every second night of the week. While it’s not the most original sound, there are a few bands that have the potential to rise above the tag of the local garage band. The Volatiles could be one such band.
Forming in early 2007, the band instantly picked up a live following around Melbourne. On The Cheap, their debut, was released at the start of 2009, a raw collection of five songs the band had been playing live for the last two years. The Volatile’s influences instantly become clear on opener ‘Town Hell’, channeling The Stooges, Misfits and Mudhoney into the one song. The rest of the EP continues in much of the same fashion. Melding all the traditional garage sounds such as semi-shouted choruses and dirty rhythm sections throughout the record.
There are no complete standouts on the EP; however ‘Outta My Head’ serves as the most satisfying song. The prominent bass of Dan Lynch helps drive the track, along with the drums of Nathan Devitt. ‘Pursuit of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ is also a touch above the others, giving guitarist Luke Daymond more room to move at the song’s betterment. Vocalist Jarryd Malcolm’s half shouted lyrics ranging from jamming to drinking and back to jamming again suit the band’s sound perfectly.
Showing your band’s influences is by no means a bad thing; in fact many bands have succeeded on this very formula. A certain band from south east Melbourne by the name of Jet comes to mind. However, The Volatiles manage to avoid the blatant rip-offs that the aforementioned band try and pass for their own. While the songs are quite derivative of the genre, at only five songs long it shouldn’t grate too much unless one has a thing for playing the same album over and over.
Although the band wears their influences on their sleeves, On the Cheap does show promise. The Volatiles definitely have the technical skills of what is required in their genre; all that’s missing is the songwriting chops and that will hopefully come as they mature as a band.
www.myspace.com/thevolatilesmusic
