Break Out - PocketWatch (self-released)
Pocketwatch burst onto the Sydney scene about two years ago. With the two youngest members just turning 16, they put on infectious live shows and had attitude. With a range of influences (Power-pop, Britpop and Grunge), these kids were no shoe gazers. The band’s rise has been meteoric on the street-level live circuit and they are now packing out the likes of Marrickville Bowlo.
It's less than year since their debut release, the “It’s Time” EP. It captured their live sound, pointing to a raw punk ethos served with a side dish of meat and potatoes, no frills production. And it was the right record at the time.
Young bands need to spread their wings and find an empathetic producer who can bring to the table their decades of skills and create a shared vision. Enter Wayne Connolly.
I can't think of anyone in Sydney who would have been a better choice to take them on their next step. Connolly’s band of the early ‘90s was The Welcome Mat who I saw at the Hopetown a few times. They were in the same power-pop territory as PocketWatch.
Wayne emerged as a young Turk producer and an ARIA award-winning engineer. His name is on some of the strongest records to emerge from Australia in the ‘90s, by You Am I, Died Pretty, the Fauves and The Vines, the latter going on to international acclaim.
“Break Out“ is now a few days old so here are the initial impressions:.
Opener “Timetaker” jumps out of the speakers as a blistering, two-minute, straight-ahead rocker in similar style as Grinspoon. The engine room combination of Jamie Woodward and drummer Sam Mcinerney pumps along, with Angus Ross ringing the time changes with a great harmonic hook. Connolly knows when to drench the vocals with affects to bring out a sense of drama.
“Entwined” has more swing and leans to 1970s English pop. “Drown” takes the band in a different direction with a nod to Nirvana’s “In Utero” album. The song is tougher with its hard rock riff and bodes well for a new direction that will make the head bangers happy.
“Rosemary” opens with Angus’ vocals and a strummed chord. It’s a warm, melodic affair that recalls Oasis with strings and harmonies from Jamie Woodward that are nicely layered over the ending. It shows how Angus’s vocals are increasing in their range.
The EP clocks in at less 11 minutes; it’s sharply arranged with no fat or excess. PocketWatch have shown developing craftmanship in their song-writing, arrangements and production over the past year. It’s all clearly demonstrated by “Break-Out”.
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