Source: Album Artwork
Down Under trio Tracer are set to unleash their third album Water For Thirsty Dogs in a matter of days, and us lot at MOSH couldn’t help but have a little nosey.
The Adelaide three-piece made their mark in the rock world a mere two years ago with the release of El Pistolero when it peaked at number nine in the UK. Since then, the band have taken their love of Stateside grunge blues, and slammed the Aussie pop-punk norm into the ground with a style that has taken off – big time.
Water For Thirsty Dogs sees the three-piece in an entirely regenerated form – a new line-up, a ditched record deal and a fan-funded offering. Will it stand-up to the success of past triumphs? The opening title-track would give a huge ‘f**k yes’ to that.
Its a gut-busting timeline of rock’s finest. From its Soundgarden vocality and tempo, to a thunder crunch of Nirvana infused bluesy, grunge guitars. Odd name aside, it fuels the fire of a rip-roaring set of tracks to come. Its twin track ‘We’re Only Animals’ is equally as plucky. With angst in its belly, its the kind of track that makes you want to drive like a hard nut and grab your nearest drum kit and slam the snare.
Although the majority of the tracks take on the same Seattle inspired vein, Tracer aim to keep things fresh. Suitably named, ‘The Machine’ links the sound of cog wheels with a hard rock soul similar to Foo Fighters – its easy going to listen to, yet entirely headbang worthy all the the same time. In a different manner, ‘Lazy’ carries a defeatist undertone as its classic rock strums and solemn vocals are every bit as psychedelic as it sets out to be.
What lies at the core of this entire record though, is passion – and that speaks volumes…literally. Every inch of its creation has been fuelled by the dare to go one better than before. The bass lines are lower than Ludacris’ ‘How Low’ and the guitar sections are more powerful than an exploded power grid.
What we’re trying to say is, Water For Thirsty Dogs is freaking terrific.
