Cold Meat
Hot and Flustered
Static Shock/Helta Skelta
Need a soundtrack for breaking down the institutions of the world and kicking the patriarchy right in the cojones? Cold Meat has you covered. The Perth four-piece comes hard, fast and angry on their debut full length, Hot and Flustered. Fast is apt throughout this album; fast riffs, fast songs and a fast album. The 10 tracks come in at under 25 minutes. Pulsing to the rhythm section of Charlotte Thorne and Timothy Tittlemouse.
The album opens with a few seconds of feedback before the quick chug of Piscies Crisies (sic) sets the tone. It’s a hurried, angsty number about the issues inherent with being a Pisces, before singer Ack Ack Ack turns the premise on its head. It’s witty, intelligent and catchy, showcasing Ack’s abilities as a lyricist.
As well as railing against astrology, Ack Ack Ack takes on the music industry with Industry Sleaze, the patriarchy with Women’s Work, consumerism in Squirm and ZZ Top throughout ZZ Top Hat, amongst a host of others. It’s brash, but doesn’t feel angry for the sake of being angry. Rather it’s purposeful, insistent and driven. And did I mention witty? Perhaps the wit is best exemplified in the aforementioned ZZ Top Hat, “I wanna spew in your ZZ Top Hat” – a line for the ages.
The band does a great job of supporting the narrative. A solid, driving wall of rhythm that never let’s up. Broken, jangled guitar solos or flourishes of feedback from Kyle Gleadall keep things just interesting enough, without distracting from the urgency of the songs. The pace is relentless.
Arguably the highlight comes at the end with Crawlers, coming in at a relatively epic 3:48 mins. The song is allowed to breathe a little in the chorus, and ends with guttural, primal screams and yelps from Ack Ack Ack.
A tight, punk gem from the Perth quartet, and a debut that feels overdue. Reeking of sweat, bursting with fervour and held together with safety pins and fury. Don your leather in your lounge room and slam dance your way through the quarantine.
NEIL SOLACE
