★★★★
There must be something in the water over in Perth. And no, it’s not all used up by the likes of Tame Impala, as Sean Mackay and Jack Nelson of two-piece Black Stone From The Sun are definitely soaking it in – whatever ‘it’ is – and have channelled it into the rabid punk rock of their new EP.
As their second release, Death Threats And Cigarettes is incredibly heavy and melodic, all the while dripping with sweat and headbang-inducing mania. This stuff reeks of seminal ’90s grunge such as Mudhoney and Nirvana in the best possible way – just with a little added thrash.
Lead single ‘Pastel Roses’ has been kicking around the airwaves a fair bit, showcasing beautifully chaotic tendencies complete with scuzzy guitar, hammering drums and vocals that sit in a happy medium between grungey spoken-word singing and sounding as if Mackay and Nelson are tearing out their own vocal chords. The rock-solid ‘Monkey’ rounds out the EP, an absolute highlight of epic sludge rock, and then the madness is over.
Death Threats And Cigarettes by Black Stone From The Sun is available independently though Bandcamp.
