Album Review: The Panics - Rain on the Humming Wire

Mel

currently: working on a few projects :)

Here's my album review on Australian rock band 'The Panics', found here in issue 20 of debate

The Panics – Rain on the Humming Wire
Rating: B

Perth indie-rockers, The Panics, have been in the music scene for almost a decade now. However, they have only managed to stay lingering under the mainstream radar. With songs that have appeared in television shows like Underbelly and Ugly Betty, along with their last album giving them an ARIA win, The Panics have been trying hard to make their name known. And with their latest album, Rain on the Humming Wire, this may finally be the chance where the band will be able to make a name for themselves.

Setting the tone of the album, the opening track, Majesty, draws you in with the building introduction of solid thundering drums. They continue through the song to march you into the (somewhat political) poetic lyrics ''Who needs advice from cardinals? Who votes for governor-generals? Who'll offer those fellas an amnesty? Who's been touched by Her Majesty?''. Add a backing of softly lingering vocal harmonies, and this bold track can only be summed up as being a song that is ‘majestic’ (yes, I went there.)

As the album moves to the second track, Endless Road; it successfully combines the drums with the piano to create a defined, march-like beat. This give the chorus lyrics “You take me down so slow, I should not be living in this house alone” an extra drive of power and lyrical strength. A background of drawn out trumpet accents and lasting synth sounds help to support the song with a richer melody.

The strong drum beat that showcases through most of the tracks of this album becomes a quirky element about how well one could walk up the street in time to the song’s rhythm. The song Creatures can give your walk a Latin like swing, thanks to the use of the drum beat with a jazzy bass; while Walk that Mile Alone would be the perfect backing track to a rushed walk up to uni. This album is full of songs that could be successfully marketed to people who are power-walkers.

And for a song of quintessential “Australian-ness”, you cannot look further than the track How Long. With an intro that feels reminiscent of Waltzing Matilda, How Long feels like the sort of song that men in bars would sing along to completely drunk while a guy leads them away on the piano.

Rain on the Humming Wire is an album that unites defiant drum beats, rich melodies, poetic lyrics and lustful harmonies together into a blend of carefree indie-rock. The only thing missing from this album is a bit more variety, like a slower or less drum reliant song. But this album still has a lot to offer, and could finally be the album that defines The Panics in the industry.

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