Melbourne’s The Murlocs will release their brand new studio album, Calm Ya Farm, 19 May 19 on ATO Records. Spiked with their signature breed of sharply crafted garage-punk—and with lead vocalist, guitarist & harmonica triple threat Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s surrealist musings on the ever-turbulent world around him—the new collection ultimately twists country-rock convention into a free-flowing album fully in touch with the frenetic energy of modern life. Recorded in their home studios and mixed by repeat collaborator John Lee, the new collection brings that sun-drenched sound to tracks like previously shared lead track “Initiative” and brand new single “Undone and Unashamed” released today with an accompanying video.
A gloriously hip-shaking number featuring Kenny-Smith’s first-ever saxophone solo, the new song paints a portrait of unapologetic dissolution, gracefully threaded with derelict poetry. Composed by keyboardist Tim Karmouche, Kenny-Smith who helped arrange and write the song’s lyrics says, “Letting loose all the time comes at a cost. When you choose to not hold yourself accountable for your actions by going on countless benders will only make things worse. People don’t always forgive and forget.” The band's country-fried sense of humor comes to life in the one-of-a-kind new video.
Director Jack Rule shares, “When I was a kid I thought Shaun Micallef’s rotating room skit was the funniest thing I’d ever seen and always thought it’d work well for a music video. Then I saw an Ames distortion room in a museum and thought the same thing. Combining the two was a stupid idea. Getting a living room sized set to levitate, and rotate safely was diabolically hard. This was a weird, magic, memorable project.”
As the band’s most collaborative work to date, Calm Ya Farm unfolds in more elaborate and sophisticated arrangements and achieves new sonic depths largely by creating space for all five members to pursue their most eccentric impulses. “With this record we tried to steer away from all the distortion and dirt and grit, or at least let the grit come off a bit more clean-sounding,” says Kenny-Smith, who, in addition to guitarist Callum Shortal (Orb), drummer Matt Blach (Beans) and Tim Karmouche (Crepes), also plays with bassist Cook Craig (Pipe-Eye) in the globally beloved psych-rock powerhouse King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Over the course of its 12 wildly catchy tracks, Calm Ya Farm touches on everything from the vicious tone of political discourse to the brain-addling effect of conspiracy theories, adorned with such unexpected flourishes as lush flute melodies, potent flamenco-guitar riffs, and dreamlike Farfisa tones.
While Calm Ya Farm contains plenty of frenzied tension, the album quickly reveals its power to ease the listener into a more serene state of mind. This is fitting for the album’s title which Kenny-Smith explains is “something my partner always says to me when I’m feeling stressed-out or anxious. It made sense with the whole country theme of the record, but it’s generally a good reminder for day-to-day life. Now whenever I look down, I can remember to just chill out and take everything a little easier.”
Finally, the band head over to the UK/ EU for a run of dates in September. The full list of shows is as follows:
28/4: Adelaide, SA @ The Gov w/ BEANS, Los Palms
29/4: Fremantle, WA @ Freo Social w/ BEANS, Dan Howls
30/4: Scarborough, WA @ Indian Ocean Hotel w/ BEANS, Mal De Mer
05/5: Sydney, NSW @ Metro Theatre w/ BEANS, The Melodrones
11/5: Gold Coast, QLD @ Miami Marketta w/ BEANS, Gimmy
12/5: Brisbane, QLD @ The Triffid w/ BEANS, Full Flower Moon Band
03/9: Salisbury, UK @ End of the Road Festival
05/9: London, UK @ Village Underground *
07/9: Deventer, Netherlands @ Burgerweeshuis *
08/9: Heusden Gem Asten, Netherlands @ Misty Fields
09/9: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Tolhuistuin *
12/9: Oslo, Norway @ John Dee *
13/9: Stockholm, Sweden @ Slaktkyrkan *
14/9: Malmo, Sweden @ Plan B *
16/9: Leipzig, Germany @ UT Connewitz *
17/9: Cologne, Germany @ Gebäude 9 *
18/9: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust *
19/9: Berlin, Germany @ Hole 44 *
21/9: Paris, France @ Le Trabendo *
22/9: Brussels, Belgium @ AB Box *
* w/ The Prize
The Murlocs are: Matt Blach (drums, vocals), Cook Craig (bass guitar), Tim Karmouche (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, guitar) and Cal Shortal (guitar).
