Bed Wettin' Bad Boys - Rot

Australia, a continent that is often associated for its relative pacifism and highly treacherous animals and insects, reveals a subtle form of irony. It is evident that many may not connect the dots between these two polar opposite phenomena, however, I believe it clearly defines the origins of Australian music. Most notably, artists like Tame Impala, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever are the forerunners ahead of their ever evolving, respective scenes. The previous artists mentioned have perfected the craft of delivering such confrontational musicianship, but with a very diaphanous consistency. Plainly put, many Aussie groups possess the capability to make their sound incredibly heavy, but layer it with glossy pop overtones. Here, this is where Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys feel the most at home.

 Over the last couple of years, many of us have been blessed to see such an aggressive rise to a plethora of garage rock/pop groups. We have been able to see the evolution of bands like Hockey Dad and the DMA’s take shape into a glittery, crushed up beer can. Channeling the expected innocence of everyday early adulthood is what ultimately makes this genre authentic and flavorful. This, of course, plays an integral part of this band’s whimsical and oxymoronic band name. While it is often very easy to dismiss groups that have such intentionally overzealous flare to their name, the Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys have enough clout to cash their checks up front. Providing a reason for many casual music lovers to scoff at your brand name, inevitably creates a thick skin for all members of the band and to prove to a wide audience to never “judge a book by its cover.” Essentially, these Aussies have been conditioning themselves by rubbing sandpaper on an open flesh wound to make themselves look more robust and unique. Aside from their comical approach to adolescence, their well-curated second LP, Rot, is far from funny.

The first song off the record, “Away,” allows for the listener to reminisce with early Oasis jangle pop distortion (specifically “Don’t Look Back in Anger”), but still putting forth notable lyrics about time management. While a tad slapdash at times, much of this lingering carelessness shouldn’t be misinterpreted as a group not taking themselves seriously. In fact, many of these elements accurately depict what slacker-rock/punk should represent. Moving forward, I find myself being completely entranced by the melodic infectiousness of Ben Warock’s guitar outro in “Stunned.” It presents itself in a way that is so complementary with the elements around it, but also standing out beautifully when the spotlight shines on him. Progressively, through each song, segments become increasingly more dirty, but never sloppy. Many fellow local heroes like the Saints, Radio Birdman, and current label mates Royal Headache, have ushered many familiar elements that can be transformed into a modern Australian two car garage sound. With the last track, “Turn the Page” serving as a seven minute magnum opus and conclusion to the record, the group refuses to derail and only adds more significant layers to their musical onion. The addition of wildly off kilter saxophone and intricate guitar work till the very end, truly puts the exclamation point on an excellent record that needs no introduction. 

While the BWBB have been around since 2009, their repertoire and continuous growth have hardly mirrored what many hope for them to achieve. The longevity between their two albums are often what make and break bands from wanting to pursue careers in music. With that being said, a band that can withstand that test of time, while still being able to churn out well-written compositions have more of an advantage than most. It shows that their audience’s perception and contrasting opinions will not deter these gridiron garage rockers from achieving their end goal. Although I don’t possess psychic capabilities to predict the length of their career, I can tell you already that it is off to raconteurish start.