Sydney
Last time PD graced the glossy pages of Sound Doc was April 2016, when they unceremoniously made their opening move – a two-tracker featuring a single by the name of ‘The Living Man’. Roundabout a year later and both those songs found their way onto a full length (also called The Living Man). In the time shortly prior to its release and in the months thereafter, they lent their full weight to their anvil-heavy live show and are, in my humble opinion, one of the very few truly essential Australian live performances currently in effect. It’s blistering catharsis, strobing intensity, distorted horn blasts, synth stabs and Jonathan Boulet’s best efforts to lay waste to his kit. They’re a band who’s byproduct is not just light but also heat.
And now, we arrive in the now, with the duo having just releasing their first new music of the year. It’s simply titled ‘Party Dozen’, chosen because the song itself is a fair, holistic reflection of what the duo are all about. The accompanying video parallels that same frenetic anxiety that’s in everything the band do and just like their previous output, this song transcends all efforts made to categorise the sounds. It’s a ven diagram with variously labelled circles like ‘rave’, ‘metal’, ‘jazz’, ‘experimental’ and ‘instrumental’ and the band found squarely within the imbricate space. Noone knows what this business is and scientists have put thousands of hours and 2 million in funding into the issue and we’re none the closer. Apply your ears and eyes to the great mystery below.
The video was shot by Jack Saltmiras who also shot Exhibitionist’s glorious ‘Hands’ video in 2017. Makes sense too, given that Exhibitionist is in fact Kirsty Tickle, saxophonist and one half of Party Dozen. And for one final connection, Jack Saltmiras makes/once made music under the name of Skeleton Jack who turned up on Sound Doc back in 2013.
Here’s a little something I slept on through 2018, discovered in 2019 and even then didn’t have time to write about. A little aggro simmered in swirling guitars and the spat out with an MCs energy? Slop it on my plate please but also, please get at us with the next release. We’re ready.
Harrison Rae lives in Sydney having moved here from Boambee (up near Coffs way) and as a special dowry gift to the city of Sydney he bears this moody dee n bee signalling ambiater. It pans across your dome in its quiter moments, slices with percussive scissors and then merges the two together artfully. From how I understand it, the move to Sydney has guided his music into more frenetic realms just as he’ll do for your good self if you’d kindly hit play below.
It’s released through his own label Club Moss, launched just this very year but if you’d like more, he has a slightly less angular seven tracker in the form of Vitamin B.
When I’m told that I have to listen to a certain track through headphones I pointed avoid listening to that thing on any sort of phones, head or otherwise. In fact the last time someone demanded my earphone experience I 
actually forced the band to immediately dissolve so if you were into At The Drive In, I’m really sorry. And so, I’m not going to say it here because I don’t presume to direct my mostly-masters-and-doctorate-holding-readership about their listening medium but you know I’m thinking it now. Surely you have to know that.
Sometimes it’s easy to grow accustomed to some of the talents in your own backyard and I think Anatole suffers for that. In this buffet-style music market you can never stop discovering some sometimes the desire for the new can push you away from appreciating what you already know. And what I know is this- Anatole is remarkably gifted. If you can imagine a tallboy filled with about 85 different levels of drawers? In terms of electronic music, you’ll find Anatole right up in that top one. He’s a masterful, meticulous producer lacing organic bones with electronic sounds… or maybe it’s electronic bones with organic sounds? Listen closely.
Artists you need to know rn
| 1. 1300 |  |
316 |
| 2. Voidhood | |
259 | 3. jamesjamesjames | |
186 | 4. Zan | |
174 |
| 5. Sesame Girl | |
147 |
