Since Punks revolt in the late-1970s it’s hung onto the backs of the unkempt youth as our dissatisfaction with the world has ebbed and flowed through the decades.And with the current state of the economy and a pandemic that fucked with everyone’s heads, a renewed sense of anti-establishment, fuck-the-world fervor has taken hold, brandishing new sources of vexation. So what better time, I ask, than another punk revival?
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Forming in 2020, Newcastle’s dust, describe their music as a “contemporary approach to post-punk”. “Atmospheric, grand, abrasive, introspective and observational” are all words they throw around to describe their sound. They’re just as much influenced by the brash, blunt workings of Violent Soho and Inhaler, as they are by the contemplative quavers of Yung Lean.“We’re not really aiming for one thing, just trying to combine all the different music we like listening to and that inspires us,” they say.In total the band consists of 5-members: dual guitarist and vocalists Gabriel Stove and Justin Teale, Liam Smith on the bass, saxophonist and guitarist Adam Ridgeway, and drummer Kye Cherry. Rather than polished, overthought hits, they prioritise a more organic output that doesn’t think too hard about expectation. Their EP et cetera, etc, an 8-track debut project, inspired by a turbulent time in Stove’s life, explores the way the words people say shape us, and how, in the end, our worldview and behaviours manifest from that. It’s equal parts a social commentary on societal expectation as it is about family, mortality and introspection.Though the band already have some impressive moves, including supporting an array of Australian artists – Bad//Dreems, Eliza & The Delusionals, RAAVE TAPES, Towns, Pist Idiots, Party Dozen, CLAMM, VOIID – they’re now on their way to a European tour aside Hockey Dad.
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Despite that, and in good old punk fashion, they’re just taking music and life as it comes.“We just want to keep making music we like and experience new places and things,” they say.“We’ve been given incredible opportunities and we’re just taking it day by day and enjoying the moment.”Follow VICE Spotlight on Spotify for a weekly rotation of some of Australia’s best upcoming artists. This week: dust, Vv Pete, Srirachi, Scan00, Sus1er, Baby Prince, MUNGMUNG, Jimmy Harwood, Ruby-Sofia + more.Follow Julie Fenwick on Twitter and Instagram.Read more from VICE Australia and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, This Week Online.