So I’ve not seen Joe Guiton or The Suicide Tuesdays. I’ve heard good things, and I thought I had a spare half an hour today, before I went on with other stuff in my life to listen to this record. What I didn’t see coming was that I would spend the next four hours listening to it over and over. I’ve always wanted to review music for the blog, but never had the time. It was time to make time. Apologies to my prior commitments that got pushed to the side, but here goes...
The album opens with The Start. A prologue with a split vocal over guitar. I can hear Joe Guiton thinking as he sings. It really draws you in, you can hear the raw emotion on both verses, but this is just the beginning. Strap Yourself in.
Joe Vs Joe Explodes into full band mode, Guiton’s vocal and acoustic guitar is backed by a solid rhythm section of Nath Cardwell on drums, Toffer Rush on bass, and Simon Barlow's lead guitar that alternates from arpeggios to solid strumming to slide guitar in parts. There’s a lot going on, yet it all feels so together. The line "I’ve lost my soul to the first one who would take it, with no possibility of getting it back” gives us a pretty grim introduction. But before we have a chance to worry, the chorus kicks in and it takes another turn.
Beer Whiskey Friends and Regrets Part 1 is a marching anthem, and the full band is now accompanied by a slide guitar section and a gang of chorussed vocals, and that drum line that just relentlessly pushes us forward through. I’m interested to hear from Part 2 at the end of the album.
The middle of the album sees 4 quality tracks, two interludes, and more stories. Reflecting on the past in 1997, the tongue in cheek stab at hipsters : I’ve Got A Friend Called Dave; the nostalgia party: Buckets Thinks I’m Old, and Forever And A Day: a song for the scene: "the gifted and the flawed,” fighting the good fight to thrive in an underground scene, without selling our souls for a pay check.
Blood on Your Hands: Holy shit, cue the climax.
This track comes in with as much energy as Joe Vs Joe, but this time all the punches are pulled. As specific as it is, it’s such a broad outward attack on Toxic masculinity. Holy shit, this song is important:
It doesn’t matter that he’s small,
You had to take a swing,
After all, he hurt your pride,
And you couldn’t stand for that
There’s enough time between verses here for us to really think about Joe’s words. It doesn’t let up! This is fucking brutal:
“why won’t anybody stop and think before ending someone’s life.”
Fuck. Just. Fuck.
...
I’m really not comfortable talking about Juchie just yet. Maybe I'm still fucked from the last song, maybe it just hits too close to home, but it hurt to listen to it. We need to do something about the state of mental health in this country, and we need to look after our mates.
Another interlude, then Leave us be. It’s a eulogy in parts, then just like that, its another fucking uplifting anthem of never giving up! “we’ll raise our glass for the dearly departed, we’ll carry on the fight screaming their names.” There’s acceptance. The band has fully embraced the fact that life is hard, but they’re willing to take it in their stride and carry on.
Beer Whiskey Friends and Regrets Part 2 Brings back that snare heavy marching beat, slide guitar, gang vox and that screeching backing vocal, to drive it all home.
I’m done writing. I’m going to grab a beer. I can’t wait to see this band live.
You should buy this album and follow Suicide Tuesdays here
The Suicide Tuesdays - This Is For You
Produced by Toffer Rush
Mastering and additional mixing by Daniel Antix Malesev @ Defwolf Studios Sydney
Art Work by Abby Phillips and Adam Collins