BREAKING SOUNDS: Terry 'HQ' debut LP

posted Wednesday Sep 28th, 2016

Australian underground music just keeps continuing to unfold in every direction possible with no signs of really letting up, and this delicious debut LP from Terry can attest to the ingenuity in one simple slap to your face. With a swift and gentle riff, this band creates such an intimate feeling with effortless motion, delicate vocals that interplay between the female/male spectrum, crawling out from between rocks tread upon by the likes of the Vaselines, Swell Maps, some Bowie-esque moments, and the lush historic modern Australian crop of noisemakers. And of course this isn't another example of spontaneous generation, as the band consists of several members with quite impressive pedigrees, namely "Australian of the Year" Al Montfort (UV Race, Total Control, Straightjacket Nation, East Link, Dick Diver, Russel St Bombings, etc), along with Amy Hill (Constant Mongrel, School of Radiant Living), Zephyr Pavey (Total Control, East Link) and stunner Xanthe Waite, it's a veritable super group making solid waves against the grain of expectations.

Terry's HQ debut album, released a few weeks ago on Upset the Rhythm, cuts through the noise and gets comfortable so quickly, you almost want to start charging it rent, a softly exploding collection of miniature hits sounding like they were culled from one of Calvin Johnson's 80s mix tapes, the vicious tenderness cleansing the palette better than ever expected. To say the LP is infectious would be a severe understatement, but in no way is this LP considered "chill" ...let's just get that out of the way right now. It's a calculated rhythmic extension of the U.V. Race sound, but interspersed with a melodic interplay you might not know how to handle, a real corker of a mid-tempo wallop you won't be prepared for, so just pull yourself up a chair and let this album loose upon your stillborn predispositions, it's an unwavering pop masterpiece just waiting for your sick affection, so let down that guard and let it seep in.

Grab a copy at your local record store, or through Upset The Rhythm directly right HERE.