90%
Bodyjar have always been a glimmer of Americanised melodic pop-punk in Australia, ruling the punk roost in one way or another since finding recognition amongst the boom of skate punk in the late 90s and early 00s. Like many other bands of their ilk, the band found a formula that even now is timeless.
Wasting no time, Burning Truth launches into the high energy output that this music is known for, with socially conscious lyrics that don’t distract from the music. Follow up Billy eases up just enough for their lyrical message of positively pushing life in a good direction, staple stuff for the melodic punk bands that weren’t just about telling dick jokes. And a message that is as important now as it was when some of us were a lot younger, haunting skate parks with music by bands like this.
Get Out Of My Head swings into the more abrupt Euro approach to punk and its ability to nicely tell people to fuck off. From here Bodyjar decide to finally allow the Australian influence to take charge, with Ignorance an open attack on the current political state in our country and the influence of media to help keep everyone distracted, all with an undercurrent of heavy guitar tone and just enough anger in Cam Baines’ vocals to make the listener pay attention.
The raw punk rock fury on display continues though Surrender and Big Shot with more of the Australian political system in for a gob full of spite speckled venom. This makes the placement of the Dragon cover Rain slightly mysterious. It is by no means a bad cover, played as if the band has written it themselves but as New Rituals really starts to reach a solid peak, it feels almost as more of a curiosity than a track that deserves as much attention as it seems to seek out.
Jon Toogood from Shihad makes an appearance on the most different of the album’s tracks, Be The One, perhaps best described as a far more modern punk track. Whatever that is, this is it. A blend of different musical styles, including a great spoken word piece in the middle, that just works. This is the kind of thing that the UK has been pushing musically in particularly. Part punk, part pop, completely bloody brilliant.
The album plays out with the same punk rock fury with which it began, slowing just enough with closer When the Stars Go Out to make the listener want to start the journey over again. The best thing with Bodyjar is that you know what you are in for, there is no need to understand it: punk rock in its simplest form. Get amongst it and bloody enjoy!
