Album Review: Community Backwash by Flangipanis

Australian skate punks Flangipanis were one of my favourite discoveries of 2018. Their album Always The Bridesmaid even made it into my top ten albums of the year. Playing fast and catchy skate punk with a big theme of partying and having fun, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the four piece had released a new EP named Community Backwash. Big things were expected.

The seven track EP begins with the song Scully. Starting in an expectedly crass manner, where lead singer Jodie tells Mulder of Mulder & Scully X-Files fame to fellate her penis, the track is about wanting to team up with Scully to save the world. It's all a bit of silly nonsense but my gosh it's fun. They're not changing the world with their content but, listening to the musicianship displayed by the band, you have to take them seriously – there's some serious shredding going on throughout the song. Up next is the first of three songs on the EP that are less than one minute long. Titled In The Bin, it's a punchy song with a bouncy melody that really made me smile. In The Bin is about having a really bad day and wanting to forget it ever happened, something we can all relate to. Following this is the fifteen second long Paper Bag. Played at a blistering speed, it's a bit of an ode to the versatility of the paper bag and all the things it can be used for when you've had a bad day. What an interesting and original topic for a song. Piss In Your Beer more than doubles the previous song’s length but uses much fewer words. Through the thirty-four second track, Jodie repeatedly tells the listener that she is going to "piss in your beer." Again, it's all a bit silly but it's so much fun.

The Ballad Of Chad And Becky sees Flangipanis go down a hardcore route. The intensity and anger is really upped on the track and it certainly took me by surprise. It's nice to hear the band experiment with a different style and really pull it off. Jodie's vocals ooze with venom, particularly in the chorus. I loved the band shouting out backing vocals for the chorus, adding another element of intensity to the song. It's relentless and really gets you pumped up. The penultimate song is titled Getting By. The track starts with a massive contrast to the hardcore sound of The Ballad Of Chad And Becky – with some sugary sweet "oooohs" that you might expect from a pop track. Of course, this is Flangipanis and soon enough the band jump into their energetic skate punk sound. The track goes along at a quick pace and, at times, is kind of hard to keep up with – for me this adds to the incredible energy in the song. This is probably my favourite song on Community Backwash. It's about struggling through life, surviving and getting by the best way that you can. Community Backwash is completed by Favourite Songs. There's a real throwback 90s skate punk sound to the track that I enjoyed, perhaps showing off some of Flangipanis’ influences. It's more melodic than the punchy, bouncy style that I would expect from Flangipanis and the song is packed with backing harmonies, as was the style back in the day. The song is a song about friendship, going to gigs and singing along to your favourite songs. It's a really nice and uplifting way to finish the EP.

Flangipanis are on their way to becoming my favourite Australian band. They have this infectious energy to all of their songs that just can't be ignored. They can be silly but I love that. Not all songs have to be about important issues and changing the world, they can be about having a great time. For me, that's just as important. This is a great EP for a bit of escapism that is always needed in your life. I hope the band can find their way to the UK some time soon.

Stream and download Community Backwash here: https://flangipanis.bandcamp.com/album/community-backwash

Like Flangipanis here: https://www.facebook.com/flangipanis/

This review was written by Colin Clark.