The Australian band The Pinheads make an unholy racket. It's a good sort of racket, and one that's pretty much wildly infectious throughout most of their new album, Is This Real. That record drops this Friday on Farmer and The Owl and it's a release that's, for the most part, highly recommended.
Opener "Pure Hate" is an epic-length screed, while "Feel It Now" is far better, sharp Sixties-style riffs serving this one very well. Elsewhere, "Not Like You" and "Satisfied" roar with real bad intent, shades of sides from The Scientists here, while "For A While" is a bit more tuneful and languid. At their best here on Is This Real, The Pinheads find a nice balance between Nuggets-inspired garage rock-stuff and something grungier still, with the faster cuts on this, album number two for the band, working better than the slower ones. If any criticism is to be leveled at The Pinheads it's that Is This Real is too long, the punch of the material diluted a bit by the numbers that overstay their welcome, or don't fit the overall mood of the release. Still, when it works, Is This Real is a beast.
Is This Real is out on Friday via Farmer and The Owl.
More details on The Pinheads via the band's official website, or their official Facebook page.
[Photo: Uncredited promotional picture]