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THE MACKERELS Driving Under gets 8.5/10


The Mackerels

Driving Under
Independent

8.5/10

The brainchild of Andrew “Goldy” Meredith (Pat Chow, Thee Gold Blooms), The Mackerels were created as a vehicle to bring his own songwriting out of the bedroom and into the spotlight of Perth stages.

Employing long time comrades Dylan Szymkow (Thee Gold Blooms, Will Stoker and The Embers), Aidan Gordon (The Reductors, 6s & 7s), Sean Dominish and Alanna Kusin, The Mackerels have been playing the live circuit and honing their stagecraft whilst still pumping out single after single of great indie/folk/pop-ness.

Now they have gathered up these singles with a bunch of other fresh tracks to create their first album, Driving Under. Recorded at Blackbird Studio with the infamous Dave Parkin (Spacey Jane, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets), it is set to be released this Friday, March 18.

Title track Driving Under is a happy little pop-bass driven ditty. The play on words “driving under the affluence” is a witty take on modern boho life as a Perth muso.

The first single off the album, Side Of The Road, boasts some of the record’s most enjoyable lyrics: “If you want french toast with the fancy bread, dipped in sweat from the geese’s head, chained to the river for the watery taste.” It’s Meredith’s tongue-in-cheek, humourous lyrics grounded in real-life experiences that are the mastery of his songwriting.

The hero of the album has to be To The Water, showing The Mackerels at their most mature as songwriters. Its introspective lyrics stand out against the pop fun of the rest of the album and its slow-release verses build and peak with the catchiest and most satisfying chorus melody on the record.

Delivering a ten-song tracklist, Driving Under is bursting at the seams with big choruses, catchy hooks and summery vibes, it is an album you can put on in length and keep coming back to.

With everything upon everything happening in the world at the moment to make you break down into a nervous wreck, Driving Under is a little slice of bliss to put on your stereo to help you feel that there is still some happiness and good vibes left to feel in the world.

ANTHONY JACKSON

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