New Music Review #25: ‘Tone Of Voice’ by Grass Stains

An absolute cracker debut single by Melbourne pop-punk band Grass Stains. In a world that seemingly won’t stop yelling, Grass Stains have a message: be nice, or shut the fuck up.

If you’re a fan of Teenage Joans, Ruby Fields or Alex Lahey, this is a band to keep your eye on.

Clever, cutting lyricism combined with a belter of a voice and a tight rock rhythm has proven to be a pretty successful formula when put together by the very talented. Add Grass Stains to the list of the very talented, and I’d imagine quite soon, the very successful.

Lead singer Zena Mohamed (who you may know from her former band Squid Fishing) is the energy propelling the machine. Her voice is defiant and powerful and melodic. Lines like “I’m smiling but I’m not really listening” are delivered with a sneer that would make Georgia Maq proud.

It’s an undeniably fun listen, while maintaining a ‘fuck-you-all’ energy that is hard not to respect. Unapologetic, energetic, and relatable, this is a brilliant takedown of bullies and assholes the world over.

As exciting a debut as I’ve heard in ages. Get around it.

And a few others:

‘Bada Dada’ by Tjaka: This track is hella fun. The beat is a funky earworm, all claps and slapping bass and heavy down beats, with some didgeridoo weaved through for good measure. Old school hip-hop flow and bouncy hook guaranteed to get you grooving.

‘You & I' by Vallis Alps: The biggest criticism I can levy at Vallis Alps is that they simply do not release enough music. They have yet to release a song that I don’t unconditionally love. Parisa Tosef is comfortably one of Australia’s most remarkably gifted vocalists. When married with the spacey electronic production, the result is nothing short of heavenly.

‘Nothing’s Stopping Me Now’ by Dear Seattle: I’ve always been a sucker for some classic Australian pop-punk (see above), and this feels like a throwback to the halcyon days of Something With Numbers and The Getaway Plan. A blistering sing-a-long chorus, thrashing guitars, and a gentle ‘oooh-ooooh’ in the background – yep, that’ll do it.