Melbourne Newcomers Press Club Drop Kickass New Single, 'Headwreck'

“Keeping all these changes in my head it's alright/one day I'll make it to the end of the line/I'm not gonna give up easy I'll give everything I know”.

The rock band approach of guitars, drums, bass and vocals has more or less been perfected since the 1970's. So how do you take something that's so basic yet so essential instrumentation-wise and then present it in an engaging manner that people can latch onto? Well, you make use of an addictive, frenetic energy, a lively, raw sound, and just a fuck tonne of honesty. This is what works very well for Melbourne darlings Ceres - well, those last two aspects at least - but all three of these aforementioned elements are also true of a fellow but much younger and newer Melbourne group; Press Club.

The debut single from Press Club (no, not the Sydney-based wedding band), 'Headwreck', which premiered over at Music Feeds earlier this week, is a fast, brash, catchy burst of indie punk. Self-produced, the short and to the point ‘Headwreck’ was recorded on a boiling 40-degree day, with the quartet apparently dripping wet in the studio. (Quiet AC's with a low hum and low noise-floor usually do very well in those instances).

The track itself thematically deals with a rather shitty place and time that some sadly find themselves in - being stuck in a relationship where the other person doesn’t treat you right; feeling trapped with someone who just doesn’t respect you. For this Melbourne band, this new jam is the antithesis of that very person and their toxic attitudes; a respect for one's self and to also demand better from yourself and others. And man, the shouted lyric of "Don't be that guy" really punctuates that message!

The accompanying film clip for 'Headwreck' was filmed in an old Collingwood warehouse, which saw the band enlist the help of two close mates for filming - Nick Manuell and Will Maconachie. Now, there's no real gimmick here, no overblown narrative to sit through; just a video showing a band in their element, echoing how it was initially recorded - live and in one take. It's that in-the-moment energy and that fleeting impermanence in capturing such powerful live moments that the best band's, bands such as Press Club, excel at.

Made up of four Brunswick natives, the band is driven by the prime vocals of Natalie Foster, guitarist and engineer Greg Rietwyk, bassist Iain Macrae and pumping drummer Frank Lees, and while ‘Headwreck’ is but the first single from Press Club, it won't be their last!

I'll personally have 'Headwreck' on repeat for a long time yet.

Press Club are also playing Melbourne’s Old Bar on Saturday, July 8th with Darts and Rad Island.