Gaffer - Dead End Beat [IMPORT BLACK Vinyl] – New LP

bricks to the head and broken bottles smashed on the railroad tracks, coveralls coated with tar and trichlor, hatchets hacking, jackknife in their teeth, working at it like a kid trying to break free from a jangle of barbed wire, Aussie punk rock n roll as hard as those smoke stacks on the sleeve art, smacking you around the block to the end of the dead-end street.  Another essential from the land down under. -- winch

After releasing a demo back in 2020 and then heading into hibernation for a few years, only to pop their head out briefly for the occasional show, Perth’s Gaffer drop their debut LP. And it doesn’t disappoint! They’ve churned out twelve tracks of hard-edged punk, post-punk harking back to the scenes of the UK (the mother-land) in the 80s. Bricks, mortar, boots, rain, factory lines, and the pub. However, not a whole lot has changed and so the content of this record is also remarkably modern. It addresses the current crushing stagnation surrounding life, work, and wages today. It’s undeniable: life is tough. We’re all tired, and we’re unsure of the future. But at least we can put back a few drinks and chuck on a record like this. It’s hard to keep up in the modern world, but you get through by the skin of your teeth.

“Piles of ear popping punk rock from inside a locked vault where former members of DiE and Cold Meat have been stewing in their own juices and listening to nothing but The Zeros, Blitz, and Chron Gen. This musical escape is a pummelling bop, dragging all and any good graces through a glorious puddle of fuzz, grit, saturation, and agitation. Of all the possible musical notes you can choose on a song, you’re not gonna wanna miss THESE three chords.” -- Jonah Falco.

Released in Australia via Helta Skelta