Party Dozen – ‘Crime In Australia’ album review: Wonderfully abrasive Aussie post-punk
THE SKINNY: In an increasingly saturated musical landscape, it can often be difficult for artists to produce something both original and organic. Given the increasing business focus of the music industry, it seems that many bands get caught up trying to create a marketable sound with commercial appeal. Sydney duo Party Dozen, on the other hand, are not like many bands. After the success of their previous album The Real Work, the pair have constructed a follow-up which takes on an entirely different sound and atmosphere, with utterly compelling results.
The Real Work brought a great deal of attention to the Sydney duo, particularly for their celebrated collaboration with fellow Aussie post-punk hero Nick Cave. Having toured their unique brand of improvisational no-wave and jazz-influenced post-punk all around the globe, the follow-up album required the pair to return to their roots in Australia. Rooting themselves in the recently gentrified land of Marrickville, Party Dozen soon produced the foundations of Crime In Australia; a wonderfully inventive, improvisational effort which is reportedly meant to evoke the soundtrack to a retro 1970s crime series. While this influence is obvious, particularly on tracks like ‘Wake In Might’ or ‘Judge Hammer’, the record also features more than its fair share of curveballs.
Inevitably, when a musical duo heavily features a saxophone, many audience members assume the presence of jazz in some form. While jazz certainly has its place in the repertoire of this album, Crime In Australia features an impressively broad range of genres and influences. For instance, the band obviously finds inspiration in the captivating punk scene of Australia, most notably on the closing track, ‘Jon’s International Marketplace’, which borders on hardcore at points. For the most part, though, Party Dozen carve out their own unique sound, awash with distorted basslines and infectious sax soundscapes. The record is certainly more openly abrasive and distorted than the band’s previous efforts, though that is far from being a complaint.
Aside from the musical performances of the duo, which become more impressive with every run-through of this record, Crime In Australia benefits massively from the fact that all production and mixing work was completed in-house by the band themselves. The resulting sound is one which is never afraid to drift into the experimental and avant-garde, while retaining the distinctive mood of Party Dozen. The impressive production work also helps to foster the ongoing theme of an old-school cop series soundtrack, which offers an incredibly interesting angle to the record that might have been pooh-poohed had the group outsourced production work for Crime In Australia.
For fans of: Spending your hard-earned weekends drinking overpriced bottles of real-ale and watching reruns of The Sweeney on ITV Four.
A concluding comment from Ben’s housemate: “If a migraine became sentient and inexplicably learned to play the saxophone, this is exactly what the music it would produce.”
Crime In Australia track-by-track:
Release date: September 6th | Producer: Party Dozen | Label: Temporary Residence Ltd.
‘Coup De Gronk’: One of their most wonderfully abrasive efforts to date, the album opener immediately establishes the inventive and improvisational atmosphere of Party Dozen’s latest record, which is carried on throughout. [3.5/5]
‘Wake In Might’: If this album is meant to evoke the soundtrack to a retro cop serial, then this track would play over a tense chase scene as the chief demands results from an old-school maverick. [4/5]
‘Money & The Drugs’: Embracing their more high-octane post-punk influences, this track is anarchic and infectious in the best possible way. You do get a sense, however, that beneath the apparent chaos is a beautifully crafted, intricate soundscape. [4/5]
‘Les Crimes’: Awash both with fuzzy, guttural saxophone bursts and delicate, elegant interludes, Party Dozen almost seem to be toying with the listener at this point, but I, for one, am certainly not complaining. [4/5]
‘The Big Man Upstairs’: One of their most understated, melodic and frankly normal efforts to date, this song is certainly not the most captivating effort on this record. It does, however, go to show the diversity of Party Dozen’s sound and their refusal to stick to just one inherent style. [3/5]
‘Judge Hammer’: As we enter the second half of the album, Party Dozen begin to embrace a much darker, dirtier sound. This sprawling, four-minute song builds and destroys tensions expertly, and certainly benefits from the in-house production carried out by the duo themselves. [3.5/5]
‘Bad News Department’: With a bassline to die for and an incredibly catchy hook, this song is potentially one of Party Dozen’s most accessible, at least on Crime In Australia. Out of all the tracks on the record, it is easiest to imagine this one commanding a live audience to really let loose. [4.5/5]
‘The Righteous Front’: Aer the intensity of the previous few instalments, the duo give audiences a chance to catch their breath with this distinctly more chilled-out effort. Don’t get me wrong, it is still imbued with the same Party Dozen distortion, but it is more of an understated headbang than a full-on mosh pit. [3.5/5]
‘Piss On Earth’: Delivers almost exactly what you would expect from a song entitled ‘Piss On Earth’. Nobody is coming into this expecting a gentle ride, and Party Dozen certainly feel no obligation to provide one. [4/5]
‘Jon’s International Marketplace’: Leaving the listener wanting more, the duo conclude this record with an insurmountably high-octane effort, clearly taking a lot of its cues from the abrasive world of hardcore punk, but with the added edge of a saxophone. [4.5/5]
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