Eora/Sydney-based alt-rock shapeshifters RedHook have just unleashed their long-anticipated debut album Postcard From A Living Hell – produced by Stevie Knight (Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly) in collaboration with band member Craig Wilkinson, and mixed by James Paul Wisner (Underoath, Paramore).
Postcard From A Living Hell is eleven charismatic, hook-laden tracks forged in RedHook’s particle collider of sonic influences, smashing together elements of metalcore, pop-punk, nu-metal, alt-rock, and classic metal with trap, EDM and pop. The LP is stacked with radio singles, including the femme-powered, EDM-inflected breakup anthem Imposter feat. Yours Truly, saxophone-powered pop-punk self-roast Soju feat. Sly Withers, and the self-produced one-two punch of diabolical emo-meets-drum and bass banger Low Budget Horror and incendiary anti-misogyny manifesto SAY.
Focus track Postcard Xo opens the LP, taking us “down that rabbit hole” into a nightmarish hellscape of trauma and self-sabotage. Written as a letter from rock bottom where vocalist Emmy Mack ruminates on struggles with depression and intrusive thoughts of self-harm, the song is also RedHook’s boldest and wackiest musical composition to date. “‘Postcard Xo’ is a pretty dark song, both musically and thematically,” says Emmy. “It’s about finding yourself back in the familiar landscape of rock bottom after a string of preventable fuck-ups, wrestling with feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness, and wishing the worst for yourself – because that’s exactly what you feel like you deserve.”
From the sucker-punching hard rock of The Critic, to the chaotic rap-fuelled metalcore of Psych Vs. Psych, to the darker synth-pop deviance of An Intervention and the heartfelt alt-rock balladry of Inarticulate feat. The Faim, Postcard From A Living Hell is a unique and expansive body of work that showcases the full spectrum of RedHook’s colourful musical multiverse. Emmy’s superlative bravery in the fan-resonant Jabberwocky is complimented by the savagery of breakbeat rave monster Off With Your Head, as the album hits out against injustice and our most persuasive demons while expressing a slew of relatable ordeals that make life feel like a living hell.
RedHook are set to embark on their biggest national headline tour yet, presented by triple j. The band will be visiting fans across eleven regional and metro cities in May, with support from Bad/Love, Belle Haven and Grenade Jumper. Following this, the band will head to the UK and Europe to support luminaires Stand Atlantic across seven dates in June, as well as returning to the iconic Download Festival, and juggernaut rock extravaganza Rock for People in Czech Republic.
