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Brutal riffs, humming bass and enough vocal power to start an earthquake: prepare yourselves for The Braves’ new single Comedown Kid

There’s a reason Melbourne’s underground scene is so infamous – every time we happen across a band who fits that label, we’re completely blown away. Whether it’s the booming sound the scene craves, the attitude it breathes or the harsh counter culture it fosters, there’s something about Victorian rock that’s viciously addictive.

The Braves embody everything the scene stands for; a raw, unbridled rage against populist appeal through music. They crashed into the scene in 2014 with their debut record South Paw Product but now they’re gearing up for the next LP – a limited run of cassettes with the name All Through Paradise printed on the front.

the braves happy

With vocals from the mouth of a warlord and instrumentals that could shatter bones, The Braves rip out a brand of rock that’s ferociously honest and unerringly raw.

For now you can eat up your first taste of the album in Comedown Kid, a visceral realisation that for many of us, getting stuck in a loop of dead end, soulless work can start to feel too comfortable. We spoke to guitarist Kelly Watson to read into the dejection that’s at the heart of the single:

“Comedown Kid reflects that moment of frivolity where you see everything kicking against the pricks and you’re still trading your life for gold. All our music is made to invoke thought, inspire or invigorate something so the ‘comedown’ is a wake up call to get the fuck out of a situation which derives no aspiration or inspiration, because that’s what you should properly fear.”

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The attitude of Comedown Kid drips straight through to the track’s guts, every part of the instrumentation inciting the anger and dispute Watson speaks of. Abrasive noise begins the track and a lone bass line soon interjects, a knife’s edge cutting a path for the booming vocals to come.

Wicked, almost depraved guitar work pervades the track, power chords tearing through the mix come the bridge. It’s a rare thing for the lyricism, arrangement and attitude of a track to mesh so thoroughly – probably because The Braves are coming from a place that’s too authentic to pierce, unlike the culture they choose to reject.

“Comedown Kid is speaking to any one seeking a counter culture or an alternative to the consumerist ideal, which is overtly flooded through radio and television airwaves and pocket sized echo chamber sleep machines, presented to you by fresh toothed fuck children spinning some philistine notion of what ‘is’ and what ‘is’ not.”

The Braves occupy a space of utter devotion to their craft and more importantly a promise to spit in the face of anyone who inhibits it. Their unwillingness to face compromise is at the heart of their scene, and it’s an attitude that will be represented on the rest of their upcoming album.

“Comedown Kid sits pretty with the sentiments of All Through Paradise, stories of our own absurdist and escapist realities designed to inspire, incite or invoke something unusual and personal to the listener, the sound is similar throughout using changes in rhythm rather than tonality to reflect the the raw live nature of the beast.”

It’s something you’ll have to see to believe, and there’s a big chance coming up soon. The Braves will be launching Comedown Kid this Friday at The Old Bar in Fitzroy, supported by Box Crunch, Negative Gear and Wax Eaters, three other acts drenched in as much authenticity as The Braves themselves.

If you’re game, prepare to throw society to the wind and experience something far more real. Find all the info you need on the Facebook event.

Friday December 9 – The Old Bar, Fitzroy – 8pm