[engl] A long time in the making, this “solo” offering from Melbourne underground /outsider rock legend or indeed mainstream collaborator and sideman, Joel Silbersher cranks up the hiss and crackle with three absolute classics, an original and two cover versions…all displaying Joel’s idiosyncratic take on the blues, or folk.. or indeed soul music. For it is that which burst forth on this essential 45.. almost a Beefheartian guttural (from the gutter, and indeed the gut…) growling from Silbersher makes these songs his, and ultimately..yours.... Featuring assorted members of the Drones (Liddiard / Noga) on various instrumentation, the a-side – “No Teeth” is a Silbersher original, it sparks and spits with huge wit and snarl..making a mess / meal out of the blues..a true visceral outburst! … on the b-side, there’s two covers… a take on Bill Withers’ “ I Don’t Want You On My Mind” which emboldens the smooth soul with a vitriolic preaching of good, common sense… and then The Holy Modal Rounders’…”Half a Mind”…an urgent and exuberant take to put it mildly!! Theres 500 of these being made, don’t be a dope and miss out

[engl] “I was guzzling wine at my favorite bar in San Francisco, the Rite Spot, and the entertainment that night was some local opera singers singing along with a big video screen showing a collage of various operatic moments with subtitles. One particular subtitle, ‘Ah!-(etc)’ made me laugh, I thought it was a perfect description of life - the joy of existence against the etcetera of it all, the struggle. With a heavy head of rose’ it seemed like ecstatic poetry! I scribbled it on a napkin and thought it might make a good title for something” And so the mystery behind the title of Kelley Stoltz new record is solved. Less of a mystery is the quality contained therein… after 12 self-titled releases and a several more under pseudonyms, Stoltz is the word for “one-man-band-home-recording-pop-songs of idiosyncratic character.” A quick follow up to his more power pop and pub rock LP only “Hard Feelings” offering in the summer, “Ah-(etc)” finds Stoltz returning to his sweet spot, writing songs that never were, but should have been in the 60’s and 80’s. As with other LPs Stoltz makes virtually every noise on the album which was written and recorded in 2019 at his Electric Duck Studio in. San Francisco. A few friends popped in to play along… Stoltz former bandmate, Echo & the Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant adds electric guitar to “The Quiet Ones” a sort of Scott Walker lyrical take on strangers and neighbors. Karina Denike formerly of Dance Hall Crashers adds gorgeous vocals on the bossanova groover “Moon Shy”, where Sergeant pops up again in a spoken word role on the outro. Allyson Baker of SF’s Dirty Ghosts sings on “She Like Noise”, a song Stoltz wrote for her in celebration of her love of seeing live bands. The album was mastered by Mikey Young in Australia. Tour dates scheduled for summer 2021.

[engl] The Stylist", Kelley Stoltz's 17th album finds him following up the Third Man Records reissue of his 2001 "Antique Glow", with a collection of 10 new songs. The album was recorded early in 2021, and has been languishing in the vinyl pressing log jam ever since - but luckily Stoltz writes timeless songs, the kind that might've appeared on the fringes of the late 60's or mid 80's. Acoustic guitars, synthesizers, drum machines and strong melodies abound. As with his other classic records "Below the Branches", "Double Exposure" and "Ah! (etc)" Stoltz plays most of the instruments himself and records in his home studio in San Francisco. Kelley says, "I chose the title 'the Stylist' because musically I guess that's what I am... because of the way I write, at my leisure over a period of months at home, I kinda flit around between styles. It's all in the pop-rock vein, but there's usually a wide range of sounds and inspiration from song to song. It sort of fits together in a mix tape kind of way, rather than an exploration of one particular mood. That's always been the case with my albums." The chorus-y guitar jangle of "Your Name Escapes Me" somehow name checks the New Bomb Turks, while reflecting on familiar if forgotten faces from Stoltz's past. On "My Island" insistent piano and saxophone solos take the listener on a tropical trip to the soft rock radio dial. Stoltz played rhythm guitar in Echo & the Bunnymen for a few years, and "We Grew So Far Apart" clangs like a lost Liverpool 80's classic. Stoltz says, "There's a touch more piano on this record... going back to my Sub Pop days, when I was writing more Beatle-y bits... Harry Nilsson... that kind of thing." Indeed, the piano led "It's a Cold World" plays like a holy union of Todd Rundgren and the Zombies where Stoltz declares, "it's a cold world at times, but I'm not ready to give up the fight." Thankfully, after 23 years the beat goes on... and no matter what style Stoltz chooses, "The Stylist" is another platter of tuneful delight in the impressive catalog of one of the great songwriters of our time.

[engl] The Kings of the Fucking Sea are Sara Nelson (b), Poni Silver (d), and Chet Weise (g,v). All three members have toured and released records with critically acclaimed bands such as The Little Killers, The Ettes, and Immortal Lee Country Killers, respectively. The group's first record, In Concert (forthcoming from Agitated Records), was recorded live on a tascam reel-to-reel in a Nashville screen printing shop called Soft Junk. About the group's sound, Walter Scott Award winning author of The Gallows Pole and The Offing, Benjamin Myers said, Kings of the Fucking Sea make me want to mask-up, topple statues, carve Iggy’s face in Mount Rushmore, storm the White House and paint it black. Their noise hits on a visceral level and will scorch the edges of your very DNA. if MC5 and Black Sabbath had a baby it would be a biological miracle, and they would call it Kings of the Fucking Sea. Troubled times need troubling music: here it is, a live soundtrack to a crumbling empire. Totally righteous.

[engl] So, we get a tape of this in the post, yes, a tape, and thought it was pretty wild, then heard nothing?then we get a CDR, well two of them, some mix cassette, and a CD containing some OTT modern day Pop Art sleeve design that is retina rubbling!?.with a scrawled note claiming, "when you put the record out, you have to limit it to 500 LPs with a bonus free CD version that has a different mix of the music on it, NO Downloads whatsoever, and while your are at it, make some giveaway cassettes up of the mixtape we sent to go with it, and the sleeve has to be wrap-around, like it could be a poster, on thicker card too, full colour mind!?we are Koolaid (Global Tyranny) on this record?send us some copies when its done"?.well that was telling us, so we had to put the record out. We listened to the CD again; it was bonkers, some wild psychedelic noise stomping round the room, meshed with some dark samples, really heavy and LIVE drums, almost a non stop mix of edge-of-the-seat paranoiac scuzz, with loops that pulse through the entire record. Like a modern day mix of the avant pop samplings and cut-up wizardry of Negativland, the obscure fractal pop psychedelic rock of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, some of the white hot guitar of the Stooges / Loop variety, and a primal beat /rhythm that could have been lifted from Cro-Magnon.. We started putting the RSD 2011 12" together, when another missive arrived, this time the message was simpler?"when's our LP coming out? And can you put this out too, we are Koolaid (Alien Ballroom) on this track?", that was a crunchy, noisy version of Daft Punk's "Da Funk", and nothing like this album..we put it on the RSD Agitated 12" release.. they fitted in well.. And no, we have no idea who is in the collective, band, or whatever they are or might be..in a way, that makes this even greater?. For fans of? Ask for a CDr, don't be scared? and ask for a CDr copy of the mixtape, it's a great slice of what might make these guys tick? 500 copies only on vinyl, in deluxe wraparound colour sleeve, with CD version (of diff mixes of the four tracks) and a mixtape.

[engl] While Last of the Easy Riders formed last summer in Denver, the band of sonic nomads each converged high in the Rocky Mountains individually from various parts of the country. Even with dissimilar backgrounds, each of the musicians shared one common vision: to create cosmic rock ‘n’ roll. The outcome is the band’s naturally formulated blend of raw Midwestern treble and passionate deep-south rhythm and bass. That acoustic integrity shines bright on the group’s gutsy self-titled debut EP on Agitated Records. Much like their iconic heroes in bygone country-rock outfits like The Byrds and The Band, each member contributes song credits to the new disc. The band comprises guitarist/vocalist, Christopher Minarik, Mitch Mitchum (drums, vocals), Daniel Duggan (bass, vocals) and guitarist, Bradley T Grear. “It’s what makes us dynamic – four individual songwriters playing in one band,” said Minarik, who refers to Last of the Easy Riders as “southwestern psych-rock.” The earthy, inspired track list projects the tranquility of the outdoors, or perhaps hazily driving through Joshua Tree National Park with the windows down, while a CCR cassette warmly hums in the background. It’s an honest, but optimistic batch of original tunes. “It conveys the aspect of moving across the country,” Minarik added. “Or overcoming past experiences and crossing into the next stages of modern adulthood.” And even though this freshly pressed EP was recorded earlier this year in a remote cabin in Rollinsville, Colorado – the production and arrangements throwback to the golden days of ‘60s American music – back when Buck Owens still ruled Bakersfield and Gram Parsons still had a chance. A full album is due in 2017!

[engl] From high in the Rocky Mountains, Last of the Easy riders descend with Unto the Earth, its new psych-infused country-rock long-player. Like the Denver-based band’s debut, a 2016 self-titled EP, the new full-length will be issued in January 2018 by Agitated Records on vinyl, CD and digital. While the Easy Riders’ first outing exhibited the band’s kaleidoscope of trippy guitar sounds and production techniques, Unto the Earth unveils the band’s earnest songwriting chops and knack for genuine Bakersfield-Sound country. Though, the guys certainly didn’t abandon its lysergic-leanings, especially on the mind-warping title track – which also serves as the lead single. With no shortage of jangly guitars, piano and pedal steel, the LP no doubt echoes Clarence White-era Byrds, but it doesn’t stray far from the band’s Southwestern-rock ‘n’ roll roots. The early-‘70s AM rock sounds of “Free Wheelin’,” the opening track, reverberates the band’s nomadic lyrical tendencies, while promptly setting up the sonic road trip Unto the Earth delivers. “Turn the Tide,” which closes Side A, melds brilliantly modest Tom Petty-esque guitar riffing with the Easy Riders’ signature vocal harmonies – which soar across both sides of the wax. Being the first full-length for the band, the members – whom all share songwriting credits – were able to stretch out and laydown some lengthy and tastefully-stacked arrangements. From the fiery doors-esque jamming on “Woodland Echoes” to the ominous western guitar lines of “Shadow Cruiser,” numerous moods freely wander across the nine-song track list. “Almost all the lyrics are intended to paint vivid picture, and give listeners a sense of place,” says the band’s co-founder Christopher Minarik (guitar/backing vocals). “Certain songs and lyrics really lay it on the line and say exactly how the songwriter felt, or what they were going through. It’s the most personal and honest songwriting I’ve ever done.” Rounding out the lineup heard on the LP is bassist/vocalist Dan Duggan, guitarist Bradley Grear and drummer Mitch Mitchum. Unto the Earth was recorded in March 2017 in Lansing, Michigan by producer/songwriter George Szegedy – who also offered up his own song for the disc, the twangy-and-wistful “It Won't Be Long” After five months of mixing and fine-tuning, the Last of the Easy Riders were ready to deliver the record. In support of the album, the band’s 2018 live shows will feature new bassist Gann Matthews and Hamilton Belk, who played pedal steel on the album.

[engl] Strap yourself in people, we have here the debut full length from Philly’s Laurel Canyon; after some online EP releases, and a (now) sold out 7” with Savage Pencil, Agitated Records is excited to announce the release of their s/t album! Guitars are drenched in an Asheton worshipping haze and pummel, melded alongside a Velvets chug and mid-to-late 80s Pacific Northwest guttural / primal howl... this is American primitive music at its most powerful. Pigeonholers beware, this album takes its cues from all the most potent places… Funhouse, Loaded, Green River, early Sub Pop, all providing valid reference points. In amongst this over-amped harmonious murk are 10 visceral and catchy pop songs practically screaming for attention, the core members of Serg, Nick, and Dylan have created a beast of a record. Some tracks were recorded with Steve Albini, some with Bryce Goggin and all were mastered by Howie Weinberg. The band played 40 chaotic shows in 2022 alone from New York City to Los Angeles, where they opened for Agent Orange and Strawberry Alarm Clock on two separate occasions at the Whisky a Go Go. BAND BIO: Punk rock band Laurel Canyon formed in 2019 when Nick and Serg met through a mutual friend in their hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania. After connecting over a shared interest in both Arthur Rimbaud and The Stooges, the two began to rehearse together in Serg’s garage. By October 2020, Serg and Nick began composing original songs together as Laurel Canyon, the first of which, “Two Times Emptiness,” was released on May 1, 2021. Following the release of “Two Times Emptiness” b/w “Enemy Lines,” Nick and Serg traded in their characteristic jangle for fuzz pedals and established a relationship with veteran producer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Lemonheads) at Trout Recording in Brooklyn. Between July and November of 2021 the group recorded a 5-track EP “Victim,” released on January 14, 2022, rounding out the line-up with bassist Dylan Loccarini.

[engl] Limited edition new two tracker from one of Geetroit’s (that’s Geelong, Victoria to you pommy losers!) best! The Living Eyes deal in punk rock, as in pop, with a snarl and whipsmart edge. Australia has some killer stuff going on (as usual), and this new breed of Murder Punk Unknowns features the likes of the Living Eyes at the forefront. Snotty, snarly, and almost both tracks being pop hits (from the gutter), fans of the Hard Ons, Psycho Surgeons, Fun Things, and Ramones might want to check some of this action out!!

[engl] Long overdue vinyl reissue of the last album from Mugstar, cut /pressed in Germany onto hi quality Audiophile 150gm vinyl, 1000 only being pressed: Mugstar are an instrumental rock band from Liverpool, England influenced by krautrock, 'saucerful...' era Pink Floyd, Neu!, Sonic Youth and Oneida. They have released a number of 7" records including a recent split with Mudhoney and were one of the last bands to have recorded a 'Peel Session' for John Peel. Mugstar maintain a power and heaviness and extending their musical manoeuvres and textures into new territories, the mantra-like effect driven with restraint, atmospheric shifts and verges on enlightenment and dark uneasiness. Mugstar are a total sonic assault on the senses, live shows are filled with black and white images flashed over the stages they play.

[engl] Remixes were mentioned when Agitated asked to reissue the Mugstar LP "Lime", we asked about, we got some good response! this 2 Track EP / 1 track CDEP release features the remix work of Robert Hampson (Loop / Main), he has transformed Serra into some 39 minute planeshifting kosmische epic. The first 19 or so minutes (side One on the vinyl) pulse with some fizzing electrical energies that evoke obscurio Kraut rock demo tapes from the mid 70s, the sail by, and then the second part (side Two on the vinyl) the beats, the rhythms they subside into some early (early!) Tangerine Dream-esque ambient but not ambient soundscapes, wholly immersive, wholly essential. Both "sides" combined as the whole "piece" on the CD version. The vinyl cut is deep, the pressing is in germany (natch), and will be on clear green vinyl in a clear plastic bag, limited to 800 copies for sale only.

[engl] The debut album from pre-grunge crunch merchants oldboy: oldboy formed as a past-time - like golf or knitting - between old friends with a love of having a loud good time. created by Max and Chris in an industrial estate rehearsal room back in 2019, get togethers were few and far between but something was popping - it felt like fun. Since then, practises were again few and far between but after recruiting an old friend - Ryan - on bass (they didn't want to be a two piece - lightning bolt have that covered) they decided to try a little bit harder and as the world went into reverse they somehow wrote what you have here - their debut album 'bloody'. Recorded at the Total Refreshment Centre in three days with Jonah Falco (fucked up, chubby and the gang, the chisel) and then mixed in three hours in the basement of rough trade west you get exactly where oldboy are at. it's fast and relentless. it swings in places. It's super raw and the sound of three people having a high ol' time. Mucho influenced by the prime / premiere cuts of the late 80s / early 90s Chicago / US noise, as once released by Touch and Go, Amphetamine Reptile and Sub Pop.. pummelled home with a British post punk thWACK... it’s pop music, it’s just nasty pop music. For fans of: Tar, Shellac, Precious Wax Droppings, Helmet, Scratch Acid, Tad.... Play loud… …and often

[engl] Oh yeah! Agitated gets in on the act with a three tracker psych blast from the midwest?s purveyors of the finest ?Elevators chug and UK invasion jangle you are likely to hear! Formed in 2007 by two sets of brothers: Alex Szegedy (guitar/vocals) and George Szegedy (drums) and Spencer Young (bass/vocals) and William Young (guitar/vocals). An easy reference point could be the Nuggets compilation, in fact Nuggets compiler Lenny Kaye had this to say about them last year: "Awash in reverb and mood enhancers, the People's Temple create an atmosphere truly "Texas Revisited," embracing trippy International Artists like the Red Krayola and Bubble Puppy, bone-shaking a tambourine ("Nevermore," "Looter's Game"), and mumbo-jumboing poetics ("House of Fools"). Alternately soaring, dislocating, unsettling and uplifting, the album culminates in the phantasmagoria of "(Dark Dreams) Distant Memories," a hymn to the glories found in a millisecond's delay by way of Jane's Addiction. Pass the Kool-Aid," Kaye wrote.

[engl] What are these Precious Jules That all the ladies truly covert They'll lead you to your certain ruin And then think nothing of it. Dangling surreptitiously Yet somehow in your faces Deflating your economy To inflate your airs and graces What are these Precious Jules That shine so dark before us Dazzling darkness all around Only to ignore us What are these Precious Jules So idly hanging round Your Precious necks or In your ear Wishing only to be found Acceptable for come what may With 'come what maybe' clowns Precious Jules are Kim Salmon and Mike Stranges residing in Melbourne, operating as a slick pop partnership, masquerading as a 'glam/punk' combo, masquerading as a 'garage' duo. Precious Jules are 'Pearls Before Swine' backed with 'Chinese Rocks' on 7 inches of the best use of poly vinyl chloride you are likely to encounter!

[engl] Australia's runaway success ROYAL HEADACHE are responsible for records that have resonated worldwide, and what more proof of this than a SITAR INSTRUMENTAL TRIBUTE to two of their biggest hits, ELOISE and DISTANT AND VAGUE? All performed by an anonymous, masked, groovin' Australian combo! Agitated managed to track these Sitar slingers down, and could not put their groove down. A 500 copy 7” release was brokered…and here ya haves it folks. You'd be a complete IGNORAMUS to be able to sit still throughout the revolutions of this white-hot double hit platter.

[engl] this celebration of two classic singles from 1979…yes, indeed, 35 years ago these tracks were originally released, and Agitated’s fave bubble grunge pioneers, Star Spangled Banana do a cover of each on this RSD 2014 double A side!! One A –side feats a bubble grunge version of the Cabaret Voltaire banana masher Nag nag nag, and the other A-side features a cover version of the Scientist’s (Agitated followers will know of this one, pop pickers) debut single “Frantic Romantic”…possibly the best love song ever…

[engl] Whoa! Daddy-o! Here's some 100% hi-octane grooviness!!! Agitated is pleased to announce release of the long awaited debut album from these pioneers of the happening sound soon to be known to the masses as BUBBLEGRUNGE! Yes, believe it! Dirty amps tweaked to a happenin’ rhythm and floorshaking beat, eviscerating the soul of your tired and over-referenced Nuggets comps and bustin’ you loose with some wild grunt and grind! The songs may be familiar, but you will be too furiously wigging out to even care who or what wrote them in the first place! It's an ever-lovin' tribute to the bubblegum greats of yore! The Beatles! The Monkees! Paul Revere! Tommy James! Flipper! And more! “Probably the Koolest thing that’s ever happened on this planet!"

[engl] In a world LOUSY with B-grade garage bands and wannabe punk rockers, Straight Arrows are back to show us all how it’s done! Side A features '21st Century' - a Straight Arrows-esque psychedelic punk / near breakbeat report on the 21st Century from their LP 'On Top!' while side B features 'Cyberbully', a version of the A side reworked by Owen and legendary Sydney DJ and crate digger DJ Soup.

[engl] First new song from the Straight Arrows since they started working on their new album, rushed out on a super limited 7” to tie in with their Debut US tour, including 7 or so Dates with Thee Oh Sees… theres 120 the band are selling on the road, and we have 180 to sell elsewhere.. Numbered to 180, hand stamped labels and paper sleeves.. this is a stab of punk rock pop scizz that will make your toes tap uncontrollably and your hips shake incessantly.. A real high energy garage blaster, this could be on any of the Teen Shutdowns or Back From The Grave comps, not retro, but reaffirming!! Turn It Off is the first offering from their forthcoming (2017!) new album, get on it!! The b-side is a debut to vinyl, having been one of the lo-fi/ no-fi scorchers from their bonus CD/Cassette that Agitated bust out with the first few copies of their debut album… Yeah!! Where the action is!!!!

[engl] Agitated are pleased to confirm the UK and European release of Straight Arrows IT?S HAPPENING! Originally released in 2010 via Rice is Nice, this is the first time the record will be available in the UK/EU with the first 500 copies of (250 LP and 250 CD) coming with a bonus CD of old singles, demos, and live scuzz. First vinyl pressing is 250 coloured vinyl, and comes with the 14 track bonus cd. first 250 CDs come with the 14 track bonus cd also. Recorded within the realms of MEDIUM FIDELITY at HANGING TREE - Tim Done?s home/studio/archaic equipment museum - using all the 1950s equipment available has resulted in a record where almost all the instruments can be heard. Add in Brent Griffin/SPOD to the mix with his injection of fuzzed out reverberating budget psychedelia and IT?S HAPPENING! was born. Straight Arrows began with Owen Penglis yelling about getting dumped and kicked out of bands into a four-track cassette. He was soon joined by Alex Grigg, Angela Bermuda and Adam Williams - all friends with colourful musical pasts. Slowly the four honed their reverb-laden, fuzzed out, punk garage into scrappy perfection. Finding it tough to get shows, Straight Arrows went down the DIY path and decided to put on their own raucous parties at New South Wales? notorious (and now abandoned) gay bar, The Newtown Hotel. Around the same time they put out their first 7? ?Something Happens/Can?t Count? on their newly formed label Juvenile Records. Figuring the only way to sell these records (and make their money back) was to force them, photocopied sleeve ?n all, into the hands of drunks and connoisseurs. Straight Arrows started driving up and down the east coast of Australia, playing parties, warehouses, bars - wherever they could - and in the process gained an outstanding reputation for being ??the band that will make you start your own band??. By late 2010 Straight Arrows sold out two more 7s, toured with friends Thee Oh Sees, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Black Lips, Jay Reatard (RIP) and Ty Segall amongst others and released their debut album It?s Happening to a flood of praise, landing them an invite to perform at the Goner Fest in Memphis, Tennessee playing alongside garage punk royalty The Gories. Bands began to queue-up for Owen Penglis to record and produce their music at his home studio and in 2012 Owen produced and recorded the who?s who of Sydney / Brisbane Garage scene for the 40th Anniversary tribute album to the seminal Nuggets compilation, originally compiled by Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith band).

[engl] Agitated is way pleased to be releasing the new / forthcoming album from the Straight Arrows in the summer, and to get the motor running they are releasing a limited edition 7” with one track from the new ablum, “Make Up Your Mind” and one track exclusive to this release…..a cover of The Tempos – “Two Timer”. This is dancing music, garage pop nuggets that will get you up out of your dronesome slumber and force some rug cutting antics. Easy reference points are Nuggets, Pebbles, and good times! This is psychedelic garage pop without the patchouli scented kaftans, more yr blue bomber bop than LSD loafabout!! This lot are one of the best Sydney bands we’ve heard in a good long age, forget your scenes, “Australia is hip right now” genres, etc, this record is fun, and is not for lameo pigeonholing. Theres 500 black vinyl 7”… get with the beat!

[engl] New album from Sydney’s fuzzed out, psychedelic punk quartet STRAIGHT ARROWS. Overflowing with unbridled energy, you’d be forgiven for thinking On Top was the band’s debut album, but the third record for the Sydney quartet sounds as vital and as exciting as ever. Having spent years touring their incendiary live show around Australia and the world, Straight Arrows have honed their fresh, reverb-laden, fuzzed out, psychedelic punk sound into pointed perfection with On Top. From the frantic buzzsaw of “Nothing To Me”, to the break-beat groove of “21st Century”, to the tender outsider folk of “Dead Weight”, to the mind-melting psych-out that is “Buried Again”, this is the sound of a band that isn’t short on ideas and isn’t afraid to push the envelope of what people expect a Straight Arrows record to be. “Nothing's more boring than a bunch of the same guitar bullshit over and over again. We’ve taken the guitar bullshit, made it occasionally a little faster, and sometimes even a little slower too,” says vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter Owen Penglis with a cheeky grin. Clearly he and his bandmates have cast a wider sonic net this time around, largely influenced by Penglis’ love of crate digging and his vast musical knowledge of the detritus of pop culture’s past. “Over the writing of this thing I was listening to a lot of 60s and 70s private press LPs from the USA, weird bubblegum, private press 45s from Australia, and a whole heap of 60s Jamaican rocksteady singles. Al (Grigg guitar/vocals) reckons 'Gun Man' sounds a little rocksteady-ish, but I think he’s wrong and it’d be embarrassing for a bunch of Australians to attempt these sounds.” Much like everything else they’ve done, On Top was completely created on their own terms. Produced and mixed by Penglis himself, the album seems to be more direct than the band’s previous efforts, bringing a clarity to their sound without losing any of the ramshackle charm that has earnt Straight Arrows a worldwide cult following. This aural evolution is something that has happened more by chance than by any conscious choice. “As a group of gifted amateurs it sometimes happens that through repetition and long tours we've improved at our craft, despite our best efforts to the contrary,” laughs Penglis. Released in the Northern Hemisphere by Agitated / Forte Distribution in November, On Top is the riveting next episode in the ongoing Straight Arrows saga.“The first album is It’s Happening, the second is Rising, so it only makes sense by this point that we'd eventually make it On Top!!” says Penglis. “Plus it’s WAY more flattering than 'Peaked'.”

[engl] Rising is Straight Arrows’ new album half of which was recorded in frontman Owen Penglis’ house and the other half in his new, legitimate studio, set up after a neighbour started getting mad about all the quality 'medium fidelity' recordings happening next door. Straight Arrows began with Owen Penglis yelling about getting dumped and kicked out of bands into a four-track cassette machine in his bedroom. Joined by friends Alex Grigg, Angela Bermuda, and Adam Williams with colourful musical pasts, the four have honed their reverb-laden, fuzzed out, DIY punk garage into scrappy perfection and, in the process gained an outstanding reputation for being ‘‘the band that will make you start your own band’’. Since their inception Straight Arrows have pressed and sold out of internationally released 7”s, toured with friends Thee Oh Sees, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, The Black Lips, Jay Reatard (RIP) and Ty Segall and released their debut album ‘It’s Happening’ (Agitated, 2013) to a flood of praise. Bagging Album Of The Week from the likes of Australian radio stations FBi, 2SER, RTR and 3RRR, the record also landed them an invite to perform at the hugely respected Gonerfest in Memphis, Tennessee and a few rounds of touring the USA and Europe. Bands have been queuing up to have Owen Penglis record and produce their music – the likes of Royal Headache, Circle Pit, Living Eyes, The Frowning Clouds, The Gooch Palms have all used his bathroom and in 2012 Owen produced and recorded the who’s who of the Australian Garage scene for a 40th Anniversary tribute to the hugely influential Nuggets compilation. Rising is an exciting follow up to ‘It’s Happening’ and sees the band step things with their warm and dirty garage pop sound. For fans of: Pebbles, Nuggets, Lollipop Shoppe, Kinks, and all that Brit-Invasion sound, but also all the new slew of garage chug, Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Black Lips…