Beloved Melbourne outfit Minibikes aren’t letting a little doom and gloom get in the way of releasing some of the warmest tunes you’ll hear this winter. The Melbourne-made, tropical Queensland dreamin’ four-piece have been soundtracking Australia’s endless summer since the late naughties, releasing their debut LP For Woods or Trail in 2011. Now, Minibikes are back and are keen to hit the beach ball back up in the air once again with their brand new record Freaky Dreams out today.
The sunshine conjurers released the album’s first lifted single back in 2018 with ‘Magic Happens’ – a drowsy dose of warm afternoon sun complete with beach romance and a hint of melancholy. In 2020, Minibikes revealed their indie jangle ‘I Can Feel Ya’, this time switching out woozy lounge vibes for sharp, driving percussion, funky basslines and self-professed guitar solos to accompany frontman Marcel Borrack’s witty, charismatic dialogue. Today, along with the album’s release, the band are thrilled to share the video for their third and final single ‘You’re So Rad’.
“I made the clip on a 90s DV cam during lockdown. I was trying to convey the nostalgic feeling of the album where the line between reality and dreams is a bit blury. Just for fun I decided to challenge one aspect of the unwritten rule of film making. “Never work with children or animals” Sure, no problems! (NOT)” – Marcel Borrack
“Things happen slowly in the world of Minibikes… Time seemed to be a big influence on writing, recording and releasing this album. It all started when I walked past the mural that’s on the album cover. It was an aquamarine slice of paradise on the side of a motel, and it set the mood for writing the songs. I wanted to capture lush fantasy and grimy reality in the same place, so I spent a long time gazing at this scene, trying to evoke that feeling in the songs. Along the way I’d be in other towns on the east coast of Australia and similar images of palm trees and whales would reveal themselves, as if by magic they seemed to be everywhere like in some freaky dream. I discovered they were all the work of artist Geoff Slater, who turned out to be awesome and generously allowed me to use the cover image. When I emailed him and explained how I’d been inspired by his work he said “Inspiration has natural power”. I thought “Wow, this guy walks the walk”, so I wrote “Magic Happens” as a tribute to the beachy, 70’s new-age vibes I was imagining him exuding. Now I’ve never met Geoff and I may be completely misrepresenting him in my thinking, but without a doubt he’s a big part of the Freaky Dreams story.
The rest of the songs followed, all of them trying to meld seemingly disparate imagery or instrumentation into a single, if slightly blurry vision. The kind of feeling you might get when you stare into a mural too long I guess.” – Marcel Borrack, Minibikes
Since forming over a decade ago, the somewhat elusive Minibikes have been scarce on the live music scene, having played only a handful of intimate gigs in their time together. The four-piece of Marcel Borrack, Libby Chow, Nathan Farrelly and Al Barden have pledged to change this trend in a post-COVID world, no doubt to welcome Freaky Dreams to the world.
Like their namesake, Minibikes can take you places. Their catchy songs transport you in time – 30 years back and 100 years into the future, and the outfit’s sophomore LP Freaky Dreams promises to do just that. After pushing back the release date, the co-produced and recorded album that sees Borrack team up with dear friend Tim Harvey (Jade Imagine, Gena Rose Bruce) is probably the closest thing to a tropical iso-escape you’ll get in the foreseeable future. So plug in and drift away!
Freaky Dreams LP is out now
Limited edition vinyl now available through Cheersquad Records & Tapes
Freaky Dreams
1. Freaky Dreams
2. Nobody’s BF
3. English Metal
4. Robert Fripper
5. Pussy Willow
6. Got Em All Foxed
7. You’re So Rad
8. I Can Feel Ya
9. Magic Happens
10. Motorcross Kids
11. In The Future
ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Marcel Borrack
Recorded and Produced by Marcel Borrack and Tim Harvey
Mastered by Byron Scullin
Playing/Singing:
Marcel Borrack
Al Barden
Libby Chow
Tim Harvey
Adam Simmons – Sax on Nobody’s BF
