CD REVIEW: AMBERDOWN – Miss Mediocrity EP

Shane | 10 September 2014 | Reply

CD REVIEW: AMBERDOWN – Miss Mediocrity EP
Independent
September 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9/10

There’s a slew of young Aussie rockers out there making a name for themselves overseas, led by the likes of Airbourne, Destroy She Said, Dead City Ruins and Massive, all of whom have impressed the fickle Europeans with juggernaut riffs, larrikin smiles and irresistibly catchy tunes, and it sounds like Amberdown will be next.

The Perth-based five-piece hold nothing back on their debut slab: vocals soar, guitars crunch, drums pound and each song might as well come with a complete money back guarantee to stick in your brain like all your favourite Foo Fighters earworms rolled into one.

There’s no sign of weakness or flagging of the pace over these six tracks, with the title track’s bubblegum pop melody and powerful rhythm section starting the party in fine fashion, followed by the rocketship vocal performance of David Connell on Disaster. Lost Your Way and All The Way inject a little ‘90s indie rock flavour into the boisterous mix, leaving Inside 2009 and Surprise to finish in fine, flag waving spirits.

Connell (guitars/vocals) leads from the front but no-one’s on board for the ride: guitarist Jason Glatzer co-produced the EP with his Dad Ben, a former WAMI award winner, drummer Marc Lennon and bassist Jason Donoghue are locked and loaded from start to finish, never settling on a generic beat or rhythm when a little extra funk or swing would work better, and all-rounder David Lennon adds guitars and keys wherever they’re needed to round out the package.

There’s nothing not to like here, it’s as simple as that. Amberdown squeeze every ounce of melody out of each track, whilst rocking hard the whole time. Class.

Amberdown launch Miss Mediocrity this Saturday at The Causeway Bar, Vic Park (Perth)

https://www.facebook.com/Amberdownmusic