The Chats – High Risk Behaviour

Australia, world superpower in all things garage and punk, gave us The Chats, a mullet sportin’ Foster’s lager PSA, and they gave us High Risk Behaviour, a shotgun slap of punk ooze just in time for the coming jean shorts season.

This new wave of Aussie punk has taken the same measures that their British and American ancestors did by releasing singles and EPs that catch hard and get people hooked. High Risk Behaviour is half the cumulation of singles that they released the last two years and half new tracks. This slow and steady release schedule hasn’t harmed them one bit, as their shows get bigger and rowdier each day. The music videos and further promotion of the individual songs keep old fans satisfied and draws new fans by the minute.

The Chats have made a name for themselves with thick-accented Outback punk that spotlights teenage bum life in Sunshine Coast, and this album ties together a theme of to-the-point social commentaries that convey what’s needed through titles alone (“The Clap,” “Pub Feed,” “Identity Theft,” “Dine n Dash.”) The sound has slightly shifted from sticks and stones punk to more golden-age SF psych-punk like Thee Oh Sees, and it will likely continue in that direction as they grow and expand their capabilities.

There’s no telling when we’ll get more Chats tunes, but it’s always a guarantee that what they do put out is built to last. These songs never turn sour and new ones flow perfectly into the mix with the others. They go hard and dumb, stoned and stupid. A good time, not a long one. So take comfort in knowing that no matter how old you get, you can still put The Chats on and go do donuts on the front lawn of someone older than you.

The Chats
High Risk Behaviour
[Bargain Bin]