ARSE

ARSE is a punk band built for the times. The Sydney trio’s genre-blasting tunes nail the modern condition in a way that's universal yet undeniably Australian all at once, as evidenced on Kaputt, the band’s most unhinged offering to date. In 16 minutes of raw power, Kaputt skewers everything from climate denialism to crooked law enforcement. “Shame Bomb” channels Diesel and Dust-era Midnight Oil with a protest song about the destruction of Australia’s dead heart. Elsewhere, “Night Shift Blues” sounds as if Flipper slapped the Stooges. Then there’s the title track; equally indebted to classic ’80s hardcore and the scorching psychedelia of Tropical Fuck Storm and King Gizzard. Somehow, it all manages to sound like pure ARSE. The eccentric mash-up has put ARSE on bills with Aussie punk royalty Amyl and The Sniffers, Cosmic Psychos, Hard Ons, These New South Whales and Civic. It’s also further proof that Grupo Records – also home to sax and drum powerhouse Party Dozen – is one of the most exciting indie labels in Australia right now.