Album Review: Luca Brasi - 'Tassie'

With their wholesome DIY punk ethic, their undeniable enthusiasm for playing shows anytime and anywhere, and more crucially, their thick Australian accents, you’d be hard pressed to find a punk band that sound more Aussie than the boys from Luca Brasi. Their most recent release, a 7” release affectionately named after their home state, ‘Tassie’ is a laid back, raw punk record that simply reaffirms what we already know – that Luca Brasi are doing some serious good for Australian punk music at the moment and are gradually becoming a band that listeners can trust to continue to do so in the future.

If there is one thing that Luca Brasi do best it’s chilled out, rhythmic punk rock infused by an infectious energy that propels them into the ranks of some of the best punk rock to come out of Australia. ‘Viva Tassie Cabrones,’ the first track on their three song teaser, is a prime example of this – melding together rhythmic, melodic percussion with some highly skilled guitar work, which is a times surprisingly erratic and experimental, with the effortless laid back atmosphere that has become their trade mark.

‘C’ is a track far too short for those addictive to Luca Brasi’s no nonsense melodic punk formula, but even at just over one minute, it’s yet another example of why Luca Brasi will soon be leading the way in Aussie punk rock. The vocals, while retaining that gritty, aggressive quality essential to the melodic punk genre, are oddly unobtrusive and lend almost perfectly to the band's relaxed DIY ethic. Finally ‘Passed the Break', a cover of the track by Brisbane favourites The Gifthorse, delivers to its listeners more of the same, embodying an accessibility and clean punk relatability that fans new and old alike will find difficult to ignore.

‘Tassie’, with its relaxed, garage punk sensibility, gives off the feeling that Luca Brasi could very well be that band that rehearse in your neighbors garage every Wednesday, but are in fact so much more.

1. Viva Tassie Cabrones
2. C
3. Passed the Break (The Gifthorse cover)