Review: Arlo Enemark
Australian Punk Music has always been working class. You don’t need me to prosecute the argument that punk started here but I will remind the reader that unlike the New York bourgeoisie, to Australians, punk is more of an ethos and a social movement than it is an aesthetic. Likewise, the new album from Chasing Ghosts; Therapy is far more than explorative genre-piece or an exercise in style. It’s a brutal reminder of the work we have ahead of us. The challenges that face our demographic and an earnest request to not just recognise what needs to be done but to fucking do it.
You can instantly hear the band’s post hardcore pedigree in the opening cut Burn The Boats, with the gliding guitars and soaring choruses dropping into chunky micro breakdowns. It sets the tone for an audience with a high expectation of punk music. Far from the dinky power chords and frivolous lyrics of 90s skate punk, front man Jimmy Kyle goes deep early with lyrics about simultaneous mourning and rebuilding, about having the courage to cut your losses even though you’ve lost everything. Meanwhile the band blasts through intricate structure and rhythm changes, vital riffs and group vocals that express a solidarity sorely missed in our loneliest moments.
The foot stomping energy of Amnesia Everybody languishes the gaping hole in Australian history when it comes to the frontier wars and the realities of the ongoing British occupation. The way our mainstream narrative jealously guards myths of European civility, justice and how most of us would prefer to distance ourselves from blame, rather than acknowledge the ongoing consequences.
My Bingayi asks men to intervene, in the way that women and children have been for decades. A compassionate call for brothers to support each other in healing patterns of abuse. The emotive string arrangement, by the band’s pianist/multi-instrumentalists Chris O’Neill, lifts this earnest anthem to celestial heights as the uncomfortable theme obliges the listener to reflect on their behaviour and that of their peers.
The Hurting Years is a shamefully relatable ballad around the leading cause of death of young men in Australia. The song mourns, reflects and embraces, without judgement but ultimately makes the very literal call: “I implore you to tell your friends that you love them, I implore you to tell your friends that you care and don’t believe everything that you hear.” Once again the group vocals symbolise a desperately needed kinship while the small touches in the outro leave the humming after taste of oxytocin.
The most recent single Flowers continues the appeal for emotion transparency amongst friends. Asking us to dig deeper when someone is putting on a brave face. IWPTEK (feat. Emmy Hour) is a bare knuckle brawl, in defense of our loved ones. a well timed show of strength in an emotionally difficult part of the album.
Ten tracks of pristinely engineered and performed punk rock… Therapy is a mighty expression. Imagine the blistering vibrance of Gyroscope, the contagious nostalgia of The Smith Street Band with the social conscience of Midnight Oil and you might get close to understanding Chasing Ghosts. Energetic, confronting and self aware, Therapy doesn’t simply prove a point, it demands conversation.
Album Link: https://bfan.link/therapy-11
Band Link: linktr.ee/chasingghosts
