Melbourne art-punk duo NOCON return with new single ‘Back of the Truck’

by the partae December 11, 2020

written by the partae December 11, 2020

Melbourne art-punk duo NOCON return with new single 'Back of the Truck'

Photo by Kate Durman

“Dangerous and addictive stuff with drops of Damon Albarn in its blood, ‘Back Of The Truck’ is a fuzzy punk blend worth going in on.” – Declan Byrne, triple j

“Best listened to on repeat.” – Deafen County

“Snazzy scuzzy punk that’s about as humble in its origins as any off-the-cuff bedroom recording, but with a sharper edge.” – Weirdo Wasteland

“[‘HOAX’ is] one of the year’s catchiest singles.” – Happy Magazine

STREAM/SHARE ‘BACK OF THE TRUCK’

Melbourne art-punk duo, NOCON, today share contagious new single ‘Back of the Truck’. Premiered last night on triple j, the track was written and recorded during
Melbourne’s stringent lockdown, with co-frontmen Jamie Timony (These New South Whales/MOSSY) and Jake O’Brien sending stems back and forth via email.

Stream/share ‘Back of the Truck’ here.

With frenetic drum and bass, pitched-down vocals, skuzzy guitars and a custom “beep” sample from Melbourne artist Purient, ‘Back of the Truck’ captures the delirium brought about through prolonged isolation.

Speaking of the new single, Timony (lead vocals on this track) says:

“I remember the first time I ever got stoned in the back of my friend’s Jeep while we were driving down a country highway, I was trying to speak to my friends who were in the front and they couldn’t hear me over the music. It was a strangely harrowing experience. I started thinking my blood was made of Sprite and basketballs and it was all downhill from there. I think we captured a bit of that energy in this track.”

NOCON enlisted artist and engineer Jonathan Boulet to mix ‘Back of the Truck’, while the “shitty CD sleeve from under the car seat”-inspired artwork featuring a Transformer in pride of place was designed by Melbourne artist James Neumann.

NOCON are building a catalogue of earworms that when transferred to a live show, will make their audience feel “sweaty and satisfied”. “We wanted to pump some real energy into [Back of the Truck].”, O’Brien says.

‘Back of the Truck’ Lyrics

With the air-con on
And the windows down
I’m a goddamn clown (I’m a goddamn clown)
Got a cig in my fingers
I could flick out the window
Burn it all to a cinder (burn it all to a cinder)
Got a gas station drink
And the wind in my hair
And no mind left to think! (Think!)
I’m feeling left out
When I scream and shout
No-one ever turns around (no-one ever turns around)

Sitting in the back
Back of the truck
Back of the truck
Can’t hear the conversation up front
Back of the truck
Back of the truck
Hear no conversation

ABOUT NOCON

NOCON are a Melbourne-based art-punk duo brought to you by Jamie Timony (MOSSY/These New South Whales) and Jake O’Brien. The self-described “no-punk” project takes its name from an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Jerry Seinfeld refers to Larry David as a “nocon”—the opposite of an icon. Since the release of debut single ‘AGAG’ in April, and September’s ‘HOAX’, NOCON has been embraced by fans and critics alike including NME, Weirdo Wasteland, Tone Deaf, Deafen County, FBi Radio and triple j.

Keep up to date with NOCON by following them on Spotify and Instagram.