Recently, I saw Melbourne power pop sensation Romero perform their first European show. They met my high expectations, and their debut LP is a lock for my AOTY list. Here is the debut by a band from Hobart, which lies 700+ kms south of Melbourne on the island of Tasmania, that I have been equally excited about since their amazing debut single. I am talking about Rabbit, and the Australian connection is not the only similarity between the two. Both bands have a guitar driven powerpop sound, and both have a powerhouse vocalist. But whereas Romero seem to have a good level of soul in their DNA, Rabbit are punks at heart. That reveals itself in the pace and level of bite in certain songs on the band’s debut album Good Love Is A Hot Chip. The record opens strongly with two major hits Sunday Best and Safeguard. Rabbit absolutely find the sweet spot between powerpop and punk on these songs: Both are loud, yet full of contagious melodies.
Rabbit aren’t afraid to experiment though. Putting two six minute slower songs in the middle of a record that otherwise is pretty loud and fast? That takes guts. Somehow, Rabbit pull it off. The songs function almost as an interlude offering a breather to the listener, and make the remaining 4 songs hit even harder. Rabbit just dropped a mesmerizing video for one of these two songs and it definitely adds to its power. The video contains self-recorded footage of the Tasmanian masked owl and the grey goshawk. Beautiful birds that are endangered species and actually prey on RABBITS. Yeah, to say Rabbit is a pretty cool band would be an understatement.
Yayna is the song to kick off the latter all frills section of the record. It is another example of how natural a fit the punky powerpop sound is for Rabbit. The album closes with Gone Gone Gone, the first song I heard from this band. It has lost nothing of that first spark. It’s pretty awesome to see a band that released just one highly promising single succesfully make the jump to a great full length. Good Love Is A Hot Chip is a blast and a must own. Recorded with Zac Blain of A. Swayze & The Ghosts, mastered by Mikey Young, it’s out now on Tape through Rough Skies Records. Please tell me a vinyl release is in the pipeline.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp