Eastlink – Eastlink [LP]

“This self-titled debut album from rigid Melbourne, Australia, punks Eastlink is the best full-length to come from Down Under since… well, since the last really incredible release on Aarght!, RIP Society, Homeless or any of the other countless many fantastic new labels that have appeared from that country over the past few years. For those paying attention, it’s hard to not be blown away by the amount of amazing records coming out of Australia lately. This album is no exception and stands near the top of the heap.

“Eastlink features members from a variety of bands you already love like Total Control, UV Race, Repairs, Lakes and Straightjacket Nation, just to name a few. With four guitars, one drum and two vocalists, they splinter and drench two-note monotonic riffs the rest of us never noticed were right under our noses the whole time. These nine tracks range from harsh, crude, fuzzed-out one-note pounders to droning soundscapes.

“Like The Fall, Eastlink clearly digs repetition and aren’t afraid to use it as a weapon. For these Australian doper-scuzz minimalists, it’s all about the riff. Heavy, punishing, repetitive riffs where four guitars lock on to something intense and primal for four minutes. The band simply pummels tracks like ‘Overtime’ and ‘Spring St.’ into the ground, pausing only for an occasional frenzied guitar solo or blast of feedback and noise. Meanwhile, ‘Dinnerchat’ and ‘Thatcher’s Dead’ are weirdo space-rockers that wouldn’t sound terribly out of place on Brain Records in the ’70s.”

In the Red, 2014