We’re just 42 days into the New Year and already 2018 boasts a plethora of dope new albums. Shame’s Songs Of Praise is a jem, DZ’s Bloody Lovely is as it’s name suggests and the album which hosts our Friday Freshy – Hockey Dad’s Blend Inn –is too, an early highlight. Exactly a week old, Blend Inn is the Windang duo’s follow up to the their highly acclaimed 2015 debut album Boronia, which solidified Hockey Dad as one of the most exciting new acts to emerge out of the Aus indie scene. Whilst the new album has a warm familiarity to it Blend Inn is also a paragon of how much HD’s sound has matured both lyrically and sonically. But this isn’t a space for an album review. It is a place where Juices are squeezed- or blended -so let’s have a geez at a track called Whatever.
Sonically, I feel as though Whatever is a bit of an outlier on Blend Inn. Billy’s thrashing drums make up such a crucial part of Hockey Dad’s sound and is prevalent in pretty much every one of their songs to date, but not in today’s juice. Whatever sees the duo exploring a softer side of their music – you could even go as far to label it a ballad. This dramatic change in tempo is but one example of how the duo have matured as artists and are willing to experiment with a new style. The percussive combination of cymbal and a loose Tamborine provides Zach with the perfect platform to stretch out his lyrics. As HD fans well know, Zach’s vocals are a key point of difference from other indie rock bands. The dude is packing some serious pitch and Whatever is a reminder of just how transcendent his voice can be. If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you go and give Blend Inn a spin, you will not regret it.