Skip to content
Shortly after their debut, Melbourne's CIVIC return with their sophomore EP “THOSE WHO NO’ - a fatalistic slab of power pop for the modern set. Recorded on a stint in Geelong, with Billy Gardner once again at the helm, ‘THOSE WHO NO’ acts as a counter point to the gutter rock classicism and urban decay romantics of ‘NEW VIETNAM’, and shifts it’s focus towards genre experimentation, bleaker insular realities and modern personal warfare. Over four tracks Jim McCullough, Lewis Hodgson, Darcy Grigg, Roland Hlavka and David Forcier dance on the knife’s edge of mythology versus the mundane - an against all odds desperation that flirts with the anthemic yet only stokes the flames. Mid 70s glam and rock n roll tropes are pummelled beyond recognition referencing the past but predominantly pointing to the future. There are forces at work here and CIVIC aren’t a band merely content to play to their strengths - they are a true sum of their parts who get their kicks testing their limitations.
- Ben Hepworth
Our take: New 4-song EP from this Australian band whom you may remember from their New Vietnam LP a few months ago. While a lot of Australian bands are moving toward a more accessible sound, these four tracks are heavy and hard-hitting, albeit with a slightly jangly and melodic lead guitar sound. I’m reminded of 70s UK punk bands like the Boys, the Rich Kids, or the Only Ones, bands who were a little more pop-rock than punk but were heavy and fast enough to be lumped in with the punk movement. That’s not to call Civic interlopers, but rather to say their songwriting is more refined and ambitious than your typical punk band. Three originals, a pretty straight cover of “Needle in the Camel’s Eye” by Brian Eno, and a healthy stack of lead guitar lines you’ll be humming for weeks to come.