Bad Neighbour charge hard onto the scene with debut album

By JAMES BALE

The four piece band Bad Neighbour from Brisbane have been able to put their foot in the door of both the Brisbane and Australian rock and punk scenes this year thanks to a number of recently-released singles. 

Songs like The Middle, which appeared on Triple J’s ‘Short.Fast.Loud’, and other tracks have helped build anticipation for their debut album Millions’, which establishes Bad Neighbour’s distinctive sound as a mixture of hard rock, grunge and pop-punk. 

A defining factor in this sound is vocalist Cooper Riley’s ambitious vocal range who was able to sing in a low baritone ‘nu metal’ voice demonstrated in the title track, as well as a high-pitched scream which emulated many of the pop-punks’ bands prevalent in the mid-2000s which can best be heard in the opening track of the album In The Car.

Riley also plays rhythm guitar for the band and has terrific chemistry with lead guitarist Zoe Middleton. This chemistry is evident on multiple tracks, including in Spills where Riley plays the chords on the acoustic guitar while Middleton a hard rock riff, building up the momentum of the song and giving  the track  a ‘folk rock’ style . This chemistry is  also present on Heart Pumps Blood where both Riley and Middleton play electric riffs that overlap with each other, creating  a kind of rhythm to the song.

Focusing on Zoe Middleton, she uses the debut album to showcase her broad ability on guitar, utilising a multitude of different skills such as sweep picking, chord galloping, as well as the ability to solo the vocal pattern. Middleton also uses a wide range of effects to her advantage, using not only distortion in Carried but also the use of reverb in Canary.

Bad Neighbour‘s rhythm sections are another key contributor to the band’s fast and hard, and sometimes groovy sound. Bassist Liam Summer has an aggressive playing style that still manages to complement the guitar playing, through galloping the notes and the use of distortion. Summer especially stands out on Km, which begins with a distorted, yet melodic ‘Flea-like’ riff that builds tension as the rest of the band comes in.

While drummer Jack Parkes also plays in an aggressive and fast manner, he is somewhat passive for most of the album, often  playing a simple 4/4 drum beat with the occasional fill. However, this changes in 20,000 Knife Fights where the drums dictate the pace and carry the song’s progression as the guitars synthesise with the complex drum work and Riley’s vocals.

Overall, Millions works as a solid rock/punk album, but it plays it quite safe as a debut album in terms of its creative ambition. Almost every track progresses in the same manner and the playing style of each instrument is consistent in each track. That said, it can’t  be taken away from Bad Neighbour that this album creates a solid foundation for a great modern Aussie rock band in years to come.

★★★

Millions is set to release Friday September 20, and Bad Neighbour will be touring throughout October and November.