WHEN The Chats were releasing singles like Smoko and Pub Feed and earning influential friends like Dave Grohl and Josh Homme it felt like we could all celebrate in their music's tongue-in-cheek celebration of bogan culture.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Debut album High Risk Behaviour followed in 2020 and kept up the momentum, but shortly after the Sunshine Coast punk three-piece lost guitarist Josh Price, who was subsequently replaced by Josh Hardy.
Price has proven a telling loss as The Chats' second album - the aptly titled Get F--ked - lacks the charm of their debut. This is a record of less-than-two-minute frenetic garage-punk numbers which quickly begins to bleed into one.
The Price Of Smokes with it's social commentary of "those bastards in parliament ought to be hung by their necks" and Emperor Of The Beach exploring racism in surf culture are the album's most thrilling moments.
The Chats have doubled down on their punk tendencies and as a consequence Get F--ked delivers a raised middle finger to the world. But in doing so, The Chats aren't as novel anymore.