by Zak Mercado (@ciaoguaglione)
On cooling autumn nights in October of 2023, the new face of Aussie (post-) punk rock hit Brooklyn. Having toured some of the U.S., the musical projects Tee Vee Repairmann and 1-800-Mikey found welcome crowds in the land of high streaming numbers. The music was dancey, both pit friendly and groovy, but bright. Playing guitar and synths in those groups was Buz Clatworthy, the rock devotee behind R.M.F.C. His own project flows in the same stream of the groups he supported on this recent tour. The sound is not particularly cynical. It’s bright and exact, professional. This project hits a strong stride with its latest offering, Club Hits.
While these recordings have some of the trappings of quick paced punk rock, that concept eventually breaks down over the arc of the album. The first four tracks feel connected, even a mini suite in a classical music sense, with tiny micro movements. The pace of the excellent “Spectrum” flows perfectly into “Sterile Century” and “The Trap” with danceable ease. The album cover perfectly embodies the feel and sense of these tracks. Try not to dance (or at least tap your toe)! Clatworthy’s crunchy twelve string guitar, along with the sometimes synth arrangements, have a quasi-harpsichord tone with an edge to it. It feels foreign and slightly sunny. It feels just right.
Devo rings resonant as an influence, particularly on tracks like “Human State,” “Two Stars,” and “Access”. There’s a not-quite-staccato approach to the instrumentation and vocal style. However, there’s something unique and curious Clatworthy brings to the table. Little riffs appear here and there. Songs are drawn out, letting go of the “punk” from time to time. “Frogs” is an excellent instrumental with a mini hook and a sample of frogs croaking in the imagined distance. The album closer, “Rock Tune,” in particular, is drawn out, showing a more meditative approach. There’s just enough breadth to this album to keep it interesting and special. Finally, one of the record’s highlights, “Harmless Activity,” brings in the best of all of these worlds. There’s a sense of confidence in this song that permeates this record. There’s a sense of self, of influences, and careful curating in the sound. It’s delightful to hear and receive.
Maybe it’s time for all the nerds out there to start calling this type of music “post-post-punk.” There’s something about it that is drawing from more traditions than just a reaction to punk and the deconstruction of its phallocentric signifiers. There’s a longer tradition of rock history now, with an awareness of genre, and incorporation of pop punk, but with the traditional rejection of the mainstream, along with the DIY ethos. Bands like Devo, The Fall, and The Birthday Party have set the way for this type of post-punk rock (all in their own way). Surely, also, the rock scenes of the past fifteen years in Australia have also been influential. Thinking on bands like Royal Headache, Dick Diver, and Eddy Current Suppression Ring, there’s even been a fairly recent tradition of expanding styles of rock and roll (let alone the bigger, famous rock-centered acts). The Sydney based R.M.F.C., and the scene (or friend circle) from which it’s emerging, is carrying a torch of rock music which has the potential of a wider appeal. Danceable rock is the present and, hopefully, the future.