A frantic grunge-punk blur that only The Vines could get away with...
When The Vines burst onto the music scene in 2001 they were quickly adopted by the British music press, and alongside the likes of The Hives and Doves become media favourites. They met huge success with the release of their first album, Highly Evolved in July 2002, but the erratic behavior of front man Craig Nicholls, along with various line-up changes, began to suggest things were not going so well, also reflected in the luke-warm reception of second album, Winning Days. But things really started to go pear-shaped when the band literally fell apart on stage during an open-air concert in Sydney in May 2004, which led to a lifetime ban from Australia's largest commercial radio station and saw bass-player Patrick Matthews leaving for good. As if things couldn't get any worse, a short while afterwards Craig Nicholls was diagnosed with the neurological disorder, Asperger Syndrome.
But was that enough to make The Vines decide to call it a day? Don't make me laugh. Defying all the odds, The Vines are back with their third album, Vision Valley and the new single, 'Gross Out' offers a first taster of what to expect from the Australian rockers.
And let's face it, a 'taster' is probably the word to describe this single; the entire track lasts (an almost ridiculous) seventy-eight seconds from the second it bursts in and takes you unawares to its exhausted final collapse. The whole thing passes in a frantic yet melodic blur of Nirvana- meets- The Hives grunge-punk brilliance that only The Vines could get away with. Almost recapturing the explosive energy of earlier singles like 'Get Free' and 'Outtatheway!' (albeit on a much shorter scale); 'Gross Out' is welcome return to form from the Aussie trio.