Dennis Cometti’s ‘Suburban Condition’ is a no-holds-barred punk-rock straight from the shed

It’s the kind of album that you’ll love and your neighbours will hate.

If Dennis Cometti wrote down the lyrics to the songs on Suburban Condition, they most likely wrote them on a slew of spare tally-ho papers and leftover slab cardboard.

If anything, it’s amazing that the hose reel they are using as a makeshift beer coaster on the album cover is still intact. There’s something about these blokes that gives off the impression that it should have been cut a long time ago. But that’s all part of the Perth-based punk-rock outfit’s charm – they are just your everyday blokes making brazen, riff-based bangers. What’s not to love?

Finding its sound somewhere between the larrikinism of The Chats, the twangy art-punk riffs of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and the boogie-rock rhythms of Status Quo, the group’s second album packs a slab’s worth of garage-punk fuzz alongside loaded observations of the finest aspects of Aussie living. From mentions of tough-guy “seccies” at your local “RSL”, to stories of going through RBTs in a shit-box Camry, to finding love at your local pub, there’s a lot that Aussie listeners will find earnest relatability in. 

Having been recorded by guitarist/vocalist Alex Patching’s shed on a 4 track, Suburban Condition has a sound that’s rough around the edges, which is what makes it a great listen. It’s fun, energetic punk delinquency that could blow over .05 through your speakers. It’s the kind of album that you’ll love and your neighbours will hate. 

Label: Bargain Bin Records 

Release date: 11 August

Words by Alex Callan