Unglued Reviews

For the uninitiated, just looking at the album title and track listing of Melbourne three-piece Spazzys’ debut full-length tells you a lot about the band. I Wanna Cut My Hair Like Marky Ramone is a shameless pointer towards their main musical inspiration. The cover version of My Boyfriend’s Back indicates their second strongest influence: 60s girl groups. And the title Aloha! Go Bananas reflects the surf vibe/aesthetic that saturates their sound. But there’s one important element of the Spazzys that you have to listen to the CD to discover, and that’s just how damn enjoyable they are! This album is so much fun, it’s like a visit to the fun factory in fun-land on the funnest day of the year. Or something.

It’s impossible not to yell along with the great single Paco Doesn’t Love Me, and the unbridled joy of The Sunshine Drive (written especially for the girls by Mach Pelican’s Toshi 8-Beat and one of his friends) is always guaranteed to have me throwing my head from side to side while grinning like an idiot. Their naif-like vocals, cute harmonies, and catchy guitar all combine to make a sweet, effervescent album. They can even get away with writing a song that (1) is cheekily called Surfenbird and (2) is about getting drunk and throwing up on yourself. And it still sounds adorable!

Zombie Girl and …Marky Ramone are the most punk tracks, whereas Steal A Kiss and Shake & Twist bear the closest resemblance to the bastard offspring of Phil Spector-produced songs. Yes, it’s hard to find a reference point outside those three I outlined to begin with, but that doesn’t matter. Spazzys aren’t about originality, they’re about enjoyability. If you need some fun in your life, this confident debut album is for you. Gabba gabba hey!

Owen Heitmann