Trusty Chords

Ahead of making this podcast, I really had to think back to where I first discovered the band Metric. 
Hailing from Toronto in Canada, the group came together back in 1998, initially forming as a duo between Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, before things expanded, evolved, and early releases started arriving.
There's an interesting story about how their first records actually came about (stay tuned for that one), but personally, I think I would've come on board with Metric around the time of their fourth album, 'Fantasies', in 2009.
That's where a lot of folks came on board, to be quite honest, and I'm not too ashamed to say I was definitely among the many who were drawn to the band's immersive sound and their rising popularity.
Since then, they've been a constant figure in the 'new releases' list, with this past April resulting in the release of their tenth album, 'Romanticize The Dive'. It's an album you should definitely check out if you're a fan of their earlier material, and it's one that you'll likely find yourself returning to quite a few times.
This week, I was lucky enough to have a chat with Emily and Jimmy about the band's history, their new record, and how it's all up to me whether they make it back to Australia or not.
Incidentally, as we spoke, they were gearing up to return to one of the most Canadian tour line-ups imaginable, with Broken Social Scene and Stars as their tourmates. (Sure, Emily is a former member, and Jimmy is listed as a current member of Broken Social Scene, so it's not that out of the ordinary, but what a bill that is!).
Anyway, have a listen to Metric's 'Romanticize The Dive', have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

One of my favourite things is watching a band achieve their goals. I don't just mean recording an album, releasing it, hitting the charts, and going on tour – both domestically and internationally – but honestly, even just playing music together.

While Melbourne outfit The Velvet Club have certainly achieved all those initial things I mentioned, the majority of their journey was predicated on a shared love of music and the ability to simply get together and crank out some tunes.

Having done just that close to a decade ago, the group have gradually and constantly risen through the ranks of the Australian music scene, with a series of singles and EPs resulting in them ultimately releasing their debut album, 'Are You Falling In Love?', earlier this month. 

It's a great record that will undoubtedly appeal to anyone who is a fan of genres like indie rock, the garage rock revival, and the indie sleaze vibe that came along with it.

That era of music was exactly what I found myself chatting about with the band's vocalist and guitarist, AJ Tilyard, who was kind enough to join me this week while we talked about the band's rise, and the release of their debut record.

Anyway, have a listen to The Velvet Club's 'Are You Falling In Love?', buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

If you've taken anything away from the sort of artists I've had on this podcast in recent years, you can probably surmise I'm a bit of a fan of the more indie, alternative, punk, and heavier genres.
 
One of the groups that does manage to traverse all of those elements is The Menzingers, a punk-influenced outfit from Scranton, Pennsylvania who this year celebrate two decades in the game.

Releasing their first album in 2007, new records have been a regular occurrence for the group, who signed with the legendary Epitaph Records for 2012's 'On The Impossible Past' and have stayed there ever since. 

Over the years, they've been pumping out plenty of brilliant records, playing countless live shows, and just generally being the very definition of unsung heroes in the world of music. Seriously, go back and listen through their discography – it's pretty hard (if not impossible) to find a dud.

This week, The Menzingers return with their latest record, 'Everything I Ever Saw', and if you're a newcomer to the group, it's a solid showing of what makes them great. It's got hooks, it's got choruses, it's got some pretty heavy songwriting, and it's got that undeniable element that makes us all love them.

A couple of days ago, I was lucky enough to have a chat with Greg Barnett – vocalist and guitarist of The Menzingers – about the band's history, their new record, and our shared love of The Mountain Goats. (Stay tuned for Greg and I launching the 'Full Force Pittsburgh' tribute podcast at some point in the far away future.)

Anyway, have a listen to The Menzingers' 'Everything I Ever Saw', have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

Hello and welcome to Trusty Chords, the podcast which aims to celebrate music and those that create it.

Most Australian bands would tell you that the dream is to not only carve out a respectable niche for yourself on home soil, but to make impressive in-roads overseas. For Newcastle's Vacations, that's exactly what they've spent the past decade doing.

Initially formed out of solo recordings made by frontman Campbell Burns, Vacations soon began releasing a string of EPs and singles, with debut album 'Changes' arriving in 2018. Since then, they've released three studio albums, and amassed a huge following. 

2016 single 'Young' has gone Gold and Platinum around the world, bringing in close to 900 million streams on Spotify alone, while 2018's 'Telephones' has performed similarly, surpassing 800 million streams.

Needless to say, they're doing pretty well for themselves, and these global in-roads now extend to Burns himself living in New York, where he continues to craft stellar tunes.

Those stellar tunes will again be a focus of their forthcoming album, 'Pursuit Of Anything', which arrives in October. It's on track to be a big one for the band, but before that, they'll be returning home for a national tour next week in support of their recent single, 'Holy Grail'.

Ahead of the big few months for the group, Burns was kind enough to join me for a chat where we discussed his musical growth, the growth of the band, and of course, his eclectic musical taste.

Anyway, have a listen to Vacations' 'Pursuit Of Anything' when it arrives in October, buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

There's a very good chance that if you've listened to music lately, then you might have heard of Dexter And The Moonrocks.

Maybe theirs isn't a name you've particularly become familiar with, but on a statistical level, you've likely heard them thanks to their March single 'Freakin' Out'.

Hell, I'll admit I had no idea who they were until the track popped up on my Instagram feed. By that point, it had garnered millions of streams, and at the time of this recording, it boasts over 109 million streams on Spotify alone – just for that one song.

But this wasn't an overnight success, given that Dexter And The Moonrocks have been on the scene for about five years now. Again, as we speak, it's No. 48 on the Australian charts (having made it up to No. 30), and managed to hit the top 50 in the US, and the top ten on the Alternative and Rock charts – topping the former.

Needless to say, Dexter And The Moonrocks are hot property right now, and if you're not yet on board, you might need to do so.

Just under two months ago, I was lucky enough to have a chat with drummer Ryan Fox (otherwise simply known as Fox, since they have another Ryan in the band, too) about all this success. Since then, they've dropped another single called '12 Steps', and they've announced an Australian debut thanks to appearances on the Strummingbird lineup, and slots supporting Bailey Zimmerman.

Anyway, buy a ticket to Dexter And The Moonrocks' upcoming Australian tour, listen to their in-demand discography, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.