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Words Joel Parnell.
If the name of Melbourne blues rock trio Child were to be taken literally, then surely its parents would be Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi.
The band’s self titled debut is a gripping display of fuzzed out, blues inspired heavy rock at its finest and drips with raw human emotion. Guitarist / singer Mathias Northway channels B.B. King on the albums opening track Trees with the timeless refrain “Every day I have the blues”. Impressive Hendrix-esque solos are complimented by classic, sombre vocal melodies made powerful by poignant, whiskey soaked whiteboy blues wailings.
Stone By Stone is carried by a dark, funkadelic bass line through its verse which, for Melbournian’s at least, will invoke hazy memories of late nights at Cherry Bar and the bittersweet combination of cigarettes and neat whiskey. Soaring, melodic chorus lines appear to be a staple of the bands songwriting approach and here is no exception.
“There’s a war in my head / It ain’t leavin’ soon / I’m a spirit divided / ‘Tween me and you” moans Northway as the band hunker down for a spell of straight, down home blues on All Dried Up. The addition of organ on this track lends the composition a feeling of true grandeur and slightly sophisticates an otherwise standard heavy blues number.
Mean Square is one of those songs that you think might have been written about LSD but you’re not entirely sure; “Liquid or sugar / Mean squares, it ain’t the same”. Whatever it’s about, it has some fucking gnarly guitar and drum work on it and is a standout track on this release.
Childs impressive debut LP plays out with a ten minute Sabbath style jam called Blue Overtone Storm, Yellow Planetary Sun which sees the band slow shit right down and head in a proper doomy direction. Stick around for bulk solos and grim vibes.
Like most bands in the fuzz / stoner / doom / blues rock spectrum, Child stick pretty religiously to the template and don’t fix what ain’t broke. They do, however, do it extremely well. They occupy a nice little grey area within the aforementioned musical spectrum and will appeal not only to young stoner rockers looking for a new record to blaze up to but also to fans of classic blues and rock enthusiasts alike. A solid debut and a pleasure to listen to.
Child: Facebook // Bandcamp.
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