Consistent with their DIY approach, Australia punk rockers The Chats will be self-releasing their debut full-length High Risk Behaviour through their label Bargain Bin Records as well as Cooking Vinyl Australia. The band consists of Eamon Sandwith on bass/vocals, Josh Price on guitar, and Matt Boggis on drums who have been playing together since high school. In fact, that’s where they recorded one of their original EPs.
The Chats were formed in 2016 in Queensland, Australia. The three-piece band gained an initial following from their song “Smoko,” which was accompanied by popular music video online. It was so popular, the band received acclaim from rock icons such as Iggy Pop, Josh Homme, and Dave Grohl. The band’s exciting live performances and use of the internet has lead them to gain a much more widespread audience, and subsequently, their first album release.
The album opens with “Stinker,” an extremely strong track to set up an album full of high energy songs. “Guns” has the chugging guitar and strong drumming any punk fan would be looking for. “Keep The Grubs” out is a great testimonial giving insight to their writing perspective as well as “Do What I Want” with a chorus you can picture a crowd chanting back to them. “4573” and “Heatstroke” exemplify the punch needed to continue that energy all the way till the end. As far as lyrics, their ideals are driven home by tracks like “Drunk and Disorderly” and “Pub Feed”. The Chats round out the album with the anthemic “Better Than You,” rounding out the album as a fun romp through the lives of three outcasts from Sunshine Coast.
If you’re looking for fast, lighthearted punk music in the Buzzcocks vein, look no further. With their smashing drums and Zulu Robson-esque snarl to Sandwith’s voice, The Chats suberbly capture their day-to-day life in Australia as the true inspiration for their work. The ability to translate their influence and perspective makes them a much more accessible band than most. They continue the house party band tradition of getting everyone to not take life too seriously.