The Toads have captured our attention with their new single ‘Nationalsville’ as they announce the release of their new album entitled ‘In The Wilderness’, out on 9 June 2023.
This is one bunch of amphibians you need to kiss: ‘Nationalsville’ is a sprightly low-fi garage pop delight with an insouciant attitude that jangles and fuzzes with a high-stepping jaunt and a rhythm that drops you down, spins you round and shoves you over with a playful punch. Anything from Iggy Pop to The Brian Jonestown Massacre via The Strokes comes to mind, with its own antipodean louch attitude and a readiness for a bar room brawl with an arched eyebrow and a studied poise. Stadium level chanting and a shouty sneering approach add lustre to the sonic gold.
The track has a serious theme despite its jolly, hedonistic bounce. Singer Miles Jansen says
Nationalsville is about a cotton farmer/ National party donor, water farming in the northern sector of the Murray-Darling basin. He removes the water gauge and lies about how much water they are stealing, while diverting a huge amount of it into his catchment. A charming situation.
Ah, the faint whiff of corruption that pervades our life. Fear not: The Toads will assuage all pain.
The single is accompanied by a thrilling video which is just simply a performance piece that exudes a self-deprecatory sense of humour and a sense of shambolic fun being had by the band, all in front of a rapt audience of two dummies:
‘Nationalsville is out now and ‘In the Wilderness’ will be out on 9 June through Upset The Rhythm in the UK and Anti Fade Records in Australia. A sky-blue LP version is available to pre-order now.
The Toads features members of The Shifters, The Living Eyes and Parsnip. The Toads hatched after a short period of domestic readjustment mid-2021. Billy Gardner (guitar) found himself in need of a roof after his home was consumed by fire, and was kindly hosted by friend Stella Rennex (bass). Elsie Retter (drums) was a regular visitor to the house and after seeing Miles Jansen (vocals) tear it up with his other band at the local bowls club, they invited him along to sprinkle his deadpan musings across their fledgling sound.
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