Release of the Week 18/10: Johnny Hunter “Pain & Joy”
Photography Tim Baker
One of Sydney’s most exciting up and coming bands is Johnny Hunter, a four-piece band that are defiantly standing against the city’s declining nightlife with head-banging riffs and a punk attitude. With a debut EP coming in the near future, Johnny Hunter are set to explode. This week’s release of the week is their brand new track “Pain & Joy”. It serves as both an introduction to their distinct yet eclectic punk sound as well as a teaser for the new areas to be explored on the EP.
The two things the track does well is explores new territory while cementing who Johnny Hunter are. In typical fashion, they open the song with a grungy guitar riff. Unlike the catchier pop melodies of previous releases, the riff bounces up and down the neck with a call and response like structure. It outlines the melodic harmonies for the rest of the track, planting the scale in the listeners ear. This has the effect of building a tension throughout the verse and breakdown, making the chorus all the more satisfying as it delivers this melodic resolution. The guitar works perfectly alongside the vocal performance. Diverging from previous tracks, singer Nick Hutt moves out of his Bowie comfort zone and into the higher registers of Morrissey. The balance between the darker low end with the brighter high end shows an exciting new depth to the band’s song writing, which is hopefully indicative of the upcoming EP. Everything else on the track is pure punk, firmly defining the band’s sound and cementing their aural identity. The thunderous drums, heavy chugging bassline and balls to the walls chorus, where the vocals turn into more of a collective shout from the entire band, puts the listener right into the sweaty depths of a Johnny Hunter mosh. “Pain & Joy” is a full throttle rock song that shows off the best of this young band.
Be sure to check out Johnny Hunter as they tour across the country as part of Press Club’s Wasted Energy Tour. They will be hitting the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney on November 1st, before heading on to Newcastle, Melbourne, Hobart, Toquay, San Remo and Adelaide. Event information here: https://www.facebook.com/tours/400969917215342/
