Melbourne tunesmiths ‘The Stroppies’ offer up a third taster ‘Look Alive’, the title track from their forthcoming mini album on the ever energetic Tough Love Records. ‘Look Alive’ has all the ingredients that make The Stroppies such an intriguing prospect – the loving jangle, the rhythmic chug, the slacker melody plus in-built surprise keyboard fills and a low -fi psych coda.
The band’s singer/guitarist Angus Lord sees the song as “a loose, impressionistic pastoral of Melbourne at night … It’s intentionally vague and lyrically colourful so as not to be too specific”. The single and accompanying video, filmed on drives around their city during the current Corona times, capture the everyday warmth and fears that hang around any eerie downtown- it has an edge.
With two strong singles previously released as trailers, ‘Holes in Everything’ and ‘Burning Bright’, the signs are that the ‘Look Alive’ mini album will only add to their growing reputation as a go-to band. Building on the assured sounds of their previous self- titled EP and first LP ‘Whoosh’ on Tough Love, the upcoming record was written mainly on the road then finished and recorded at home. So the ethic of getting ideas down and out there in true Guided by Voices style is alive and well in the Stroppies’ hands. Now there’s something to celebrate,,,
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