There’s a certain level of magic in guitar, bass and drum bands. In a world where this set up ever so slowly fades into extinction, The Buoys and their debut album Lustre feel like it could be the catalyst for the recommencement and reemergence of classic, solid and bloody fantastic guitar rock.
The Buoys’ debut album feels like it’s been on the precipice of being released for the better part of this decade. With a plethora of quality singles, EPs, tours and support slots in their back pocket, The Buoys have been crushing everything they’ve touched in recent years. Here on Lustre they’ve managed to compile together everything good they’ve ever done, added some devastating and frank lyrics, thrown in some classic riffs and stellar vocals and ended up with what could possibly end up being one the best debut albums from an Australian artist this year.
Treating fans to a selection of singles in the lead up to the album’s release, all these taste tests are a fair and realistic indication of what was to be expected from the remaining unreleased tracks on the 14-song release. A first taste and early highlight of “Settle Petal”, with its alt-90s guitar and tone, is a perfect way to commence the album, while “Guard My Heart” is a little more open in its honestness as it laments the end of a relationship while looking wishfully to a better tomorrow. The guitar hook in the bridge is the song’s peak and really just reiterates how great The Buoys really are.
“Check Mate” is a dose of Weezer-esque punk, while “Holding On” is earnest in its hope that a relationship is different than those its proceeded. The most upbeat and aggressive of the pre-release singles is hands down “Subject A”. The urgency and aggression in frontwoman Zoe Catterall is impressive to say the least, as she takes an absolute drip of a human being to task. The line ‘has boundaries like Jonah Hill’ in the bridge is one of the best lyrics of 2024.
There is a lovely breadth across Lustre’s songwriting and musicianship, with each song sounding individual from one another, all the while each song noticeably sounding exactly how you’d expect The Buoys to sound. It’s a strength of Lustre and the band that they should be proud of.
Things get a little manic and honest on “I Think I’m In Love With You”, as the guitar hook continually leads the way. True to the sound The Buoys have developed in recent years, “Borders” is the epitome of what a live show from the band sounds like, with its closing choruses likely to be a stand out moment when they tour the album later this year. “It’s Over” is punchy and could well end up being the perfect main set closer, while “BDSM” and “Unstuck” have similar senses of urgency to “It’s Over”, with all three tracks highlighting an evident step forward for the band.
Closing out the album with “Totally Completely Fine”, a neat little indie-pop sing-a-long, is a masterstroke from the band. Sounding like a throwback to early The Beths and Sløtface, “Totally Completely Fine” is a pleasant and entirely satisfying end to a brilliant album.
It may have taken them a couple years to get to the point of releasing Lustre, but The Buoys have well and truly delivered here. With a national tour locked in for the coming months, there’s more than a few reasons here on Lustre to make those shows some of this year’s best.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Buoys head out on a national tour in support of Lustre on the following dates:
- Friday 16 August – Republic Bar, Hobart
- Saturday 17 August – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
- Friday 23 August – Factory Theatre, Sydney
- Friday 6 September – JIVE, Adelaide
- Saturday 7 September – Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
For more information on Lustre and the band’s tour, head here.
Header image credit: Dougal Gorman
