Out now
After a few delays in releasing their debut album Never Look a Gift Foot in the Mouth, Brisbane hard rocking outfit Scandal Tree have finally unleashed their slab of meatiness, and if the quality and diversity of the singles that have been sporadically popping out are anything to go by, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
Opener 18 Wheels sounds like it’s having trouble shifting gears (literally) to start with before a swirl of guitars underneath what I’m pretty sure is a trucker on his walkie talkie sets things in motion. Vocalist Huck kicks straight into action with an almost comforting blending of rock and Southern drawl that is both familiar but also unique.
Already you get the impression Scandal Tree are a firmly guitar orientated band, with the driving force of guitars matching the grinding gears of the titular 18 Wheels. The two pronged guitar assault of Grant and Peter, who share both lead and rhythm duties, is an obvious early strength of Scandal Tree, who don’t seem afraid to defer to this strength whenever the opportunity presents.
Skin In The Game has more of a blues feel that rolls into a smooth, rollicking track that oozes rock and roll debauchery. The guitars are again prominent, steering the sonic vessel as Huck adds an uneasy edge courtesy of smooth vocals that, at times, have a touch of Axl Rose in the mix.
A tasty guitar solo leans into a breakdown of sorts that allows Huck to approach things with a touch more urgency, but every time Skin In The Game threatens to explode it reverts back to the blues tinged groove it started with. Which isn’t what I was expecting but it works pretty damn well.
Devoured By Wolves opens with a frenetic drum pattern before the guitars edge their way in and lay the platform with a beautifully chunky riff. Huck’s vocal prowess comes more to the fore in this song, soaring above the debris and working hand in hand with a guitar riff that alternates between solos and the chugging underbelly that gives an added layer of passion.
Twenty-O-Six has more of a sludge disposition, complete with downtuned guitars that give a sense of foreboding to the track. But this soon dissipates as the guitars burst through the gloom that allows Huck to attack this song with more of a punk edginess that in turn gives the song a brighter spark that is almost poppy in places. I say almost because you could not call this a pop song, but there’s a gentleness that caresses the rough edges here that makes for a welcome surprise.
And, yes, there’s also a cool guitar solo.
Ava Don’t Cry is up next, a powerful guitar lick making an emphatic statement of intent that is soon compounded as we move into heavier territory. There’s timing and tempo changes galore that showcase a more controlled schizophrenic side of Scandal Tree‘s musical persona. While still wading deeply into the blues side of rock, Scandal Tree twist and contort the fabris of blues in so many different ways that it is actually quite impressive.
To be honest I was expecting a love song with a title like Ava Don’t Cry so I would be happy with just about anything else, but I am more than happy with this one. In fact, I would go as far as saying I FUCKEN LOVE IT.
Go-Go Music BBq has a strange as fuck name and it follows suit from the outset with a voice over confusing the fuck out of me before a chorus of daintier voices give the song a swamp rock type of feel. The vocals are predominantly spoken with a farmer’s drawl, punctuated by shuffling drums and a continued contribution of female protagonists that act as the perfect folly to Farmer Joe who, it seems, doesn’t really like anyone or anything.
This is a fun and engaging distraction, completely skewif to anything else on the album but again, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air that accentuates the playful nature of Scandal Tree. Even the guitar solo in this song has a lighter feel, bouncing back and forth with the drums as confusion reigns from every angle.
Tooth Fairy sounds like a more meat and potatoes rock number with a steady drum pattern allowing the guitars to gather momentum until they usher in probably the most straight forward song yet on the album. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact it allows the listener to settle back, even if just for one song, and enjoy the music without trying to disect the intricies at play.
There’s a tinge of Black Sabbath in the vocals here, with Huck never punishing the fine line between inspiration and imitation by constantly changing things up to enable his strong musical personality to be the dominant player. Then, as if to throw me off tangent completely, things spice up considerably, transforming the back end of Tooth Fairy into a punk infused slab of goodness that completely overshadows everything that came before.
Well done boys.
It Was Wrong oozes charm from the first note, delivering an uneasy swagger that for some reason sends my mind back to The Rose with Bette Midler. Fuck knows why, but there’s definately a sense of underlying Janis Joplin at play here which is something that I haven’t really heard since Janis last did it.
This is a cool as fuck song, complete with a brass section that only adds to the laid back feel of It Was Wrong. I must be starting to sound like a broken record but this is yet another unexpected offering from Scandal Tree that hints at many more layers of the band yet to be unravelled.
East Highway C-25 is the second last track and opens with a swirling mass of guitars, giving off an almost stoner rock feel that is quickly dismissed as the drums come alive on the back of a tasty guitar riff that repeats with massive effect. Huck quickly enters the fold with just a hint of angst in his voice. It’s like he’s pissed off with something but couldn’t be fucked letting that anger get the better of him which makes for an interesting style of vocal delivery.
This is hard rock in all of its beautiful glory and proves Scandal Tree aren’t the type of band to wind things down with a whimper. This is more a statement of unfinished business that could veer in so many different directions. Which is why I have already strapped myself in for the next ride…
Album closer Old Crow eases in amidst a mass of background shuffling noise that soon becomes clear as a voice bellows “ladies and gentlemen, the bar is closed. Now drink up, and get out!”. This brings so many memories flooding back that I’m not sure if I can even focus on the rest of the song, but Scandal Tree make that pretty easy as the drums and guitar are pounded in defiance of the previous order, and all of a sudden it seems like no-one is going anywhere.
The guitar solo rears its beautiful head early on Old Crow, before retreating momentarily into the background to allow Huck room to fire up the stragglers and steer them in the direction of refusing to leave whatever establishment is trying to throw their weight around.
This track is pure hard rock gold, highlighting an assortment of sonic weapons in Scandal Tree’s arsenal, including a brief interjection of harmonica. But that is as calming as Old Crow gets, with a thunderous undercurrent of malevolence and refusal to bow to conformity giving the song a meatiness that many bands try – and fail – to master.
Shit gets even more hectic as Old Crow draws to a close with a frenetic outburst of musicality that threatens to explode before electing to save the bulk of the battle for another day. Scandal Tree have won all ten rounds on Never Look A Gift Foot In The Mouth by way of knockout, so why not save a little bit of energy for the inevitable rematch?
Listen for yourself by grabbing a copy here: https://gyro.to/NeverLookAGiftFootInTheMouth
