EP Review: Starcrazy – Another Day, Another Squalor

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

STARCRAZY
ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER SQUALOR EP
Released – March 10^th 2023

Seldom does a new band appear on the Sydney scene with such a polished set of songs, and a live performance that goes perfectly with the music. When I saw them live at Glamfest last month I was taken aback at just how good Starcrazy turned out to be!

I was muttering things like “sounds like classic UFO” and “I really loved the first two Rush albums” and forgetting to take photos which is what I was actually there for.

Galaxy O’ Luv blitzes from the speakers with a swagger and confidence that you don’t hear that often. This has top quality riffing, a superb solo, and some glorious vocals and harmonies over a rock-solid back beat. The powerchords in the chorus are Pete Townsend-esque, and the mid-section riffs are crushing, before a solo that is much more like M Schenker. The guys throw another clever section into the last 30 seconds to really close off the track in style.

This is not a straight-up classic rock band though – Marcus Fraser’s voice has got too many additional dimensions in it, with a casual delivery on The Big Time that is a bit Britpop and Blur as well as The Who / Small Faces at their rockiest. A rumbling bass and drum beat with some funky guitar licks over the top, with Marcus providing a clean vocal, with some classic Woo-woo’s in the background.

The same feel cuts through in the chorus of The Open Sea, although the verse and pre-chorus are much more grounded. Odin Wolf on guitars is well-known across the Sydney rock circuit, and he has transformed from the Flying-V thrasher of old, into a mature, accomplished classic/prog rock guitarist. There are some complex patterns and riffs through the closing segment of the track that are awesome to behold, and see the rhythm section of Jack Barrett and Jack Farmer really cut loose.

New video release Egging Me On is 1min 42 secs of a punk-rock thrash that The Buzzcocks would have been proud of, and when you realise that one Mo Maihem produced this, echoes of the frenetic energy and frankly the sheer chaos of the Hell City Glamours live shows prod gently at the back of the mind. Odin’s solo strengthens that feel s bit more, and turns the track into something of a monster! Hysterical is more structured and restrained, with a simpler verse and catchy chorus that shifts into a darker heavier segment mid-song, with heavy guitars and backing, before a screaming solo from Odin. Then it is back to the lighter verse / chorus pattern and an unexpected closing 40 seconds.

The EP finishes up with another banger in Monday Morning (Prayer For Tony) which has the classiest riff on the record, a slightly discordant verse, and a shouter of a chorus, with some blistering lead breaks, and another quality solo – this may be the track that shouted old-school UFO at me at the show – but it still has a somewhat unique overall feel which I think is provided by the lead vocals, which are superb, but definitely not your standard hard rock lead vocal.

The vinyl EP is limited to 100 copies and is available now to pre-order on BandCamp.
Buy the EP : https://starcrazy.bandcamp.com/album/another-day-another-squalor-ep/

Useful Links:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/starcrazyband