Churlington’s Wally Wick... Some Kind Of Rodent has such a deliciously NZ flavour. With six tracks, and not one over two minutes, this is a sweet short treat. A lot of music is packed into this time and it has been strung together with the mania and rawness that was a ‘90s NZ signature.
In parts it is a confusing listen. This is an asset. Music that challenges you and forces you in to a different perspective is interesting and unpredictable. I enjoyed the fact that it was hard to get my head around this album because it meant that I hadn’t heard this kind of creation before, and that is cool.
The track Cats and Dogs, Living Together! Mass Hysteria instantly made me think how fun they’d be to see live. This collection of songs seems to have come out untainted by the ‘You Should Always’ part of the music industry – they don’t feel compromised, they feel like they have been made by musicians that just want to do what they do.
I noticed a couple of hat tips to other NZ bands like The Headless Chickens and Head Like a Hole. On the whole, it is a manic, punky and borderline poppish set of tracks.
This album is definitely worth a repeated listen. I had to listen a few times to build a picture of it in my head, so play it, and go back to it. I hope I get to see them live at some point.
We are Churlington.
https://horsepants.bandcamp.com/