Sydney noisemakers Polish Club are a duo whose star is well on the rise. Their ferocious, zero-frills rock and roll has delighted crowds around the country since they first exploded out of the gate with belters like Beeping and Did Somebody Tell Me. They give off heady fumes of early Kings Of Leon (before they all made deals with the devil) and The White Stripes and their throwback sound had fans clamouring for more immediately.
With their own debut longplayer just a few short weeks away, we asked the boys to name three albums from history that have changed their lives. To that end, throat shredding frontman Novak responded with:
Hoobastank – Hoobastank
Full disclosure, I was balls deep into nu-metal. I was at the perfect age and was enough of a lame-ass to truly believe that this was the best that music had to offer. I counted the number of times Fred Durst said ‘fuck’ in Hot Dog, I learned every word that Mike Shinoda spat out in Linkin Park’s verses and I conveniently ignored that P.O.D. was a Christian band. I’m completely at peace with all of this, but I will never forgive myself for thinking Hoobastank were the new Beatles.
“Oh it’s so great that an Asian frontman is being so badass,” I thought. They completely reflected the angst that a privileged 12-year-old at a good school with no real daily issues had. The problem is that these are grown men, playing in a band called Hoobastank, making truly, truly awful music. I now forever take a solid dose of self-loathing with me wherever I go, and if I ever start to feel too good about myself, it’s always nice to remind myself that I can still not only sing, but play the entirety of Crawling In The Dark.
Smash Mouth – Astro Lounge
Somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me, and I’m a fucking idiot for doubting them. My problem is that I never, ever liked this song. I survived Shrek movie after Shrek movie and never even noticed Smash Mouth. But, as we all know, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming, and somehow Smash Mouth’s All Star has become the most relevant song in our lifetime.
Is it a meme? I don’t know. It’s exactly how I feel about Guy Fieri. He’s an asshole right? He’s ridiculous, how could you like him? And yet, I find myself actually making time to watch Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives and wishing we could hang out. So where does that leave Smash Mouth? Do I love them? Is it the greatest song ever? Am I joking? Who am I?
Venga Boys – Greatest Hits Volume 1
I used to have a stereo right next to my bed when I was a kid. Without fail, I would fall asleep to the dulcet tones of the Venga Bus. The goddamn Venga Bus. It’s one thing to remember the chorus to We Like To Party, but it’s another thing to remember Boom Boom Boom Boom, We’re Going To Ibiza and Superfly Slick Dick.
Here I am, a fully grown man in 2017, reciting the track list to the Venga Boys Greatest Hits Volume 1 (there was never a Volume 2).
Alright Already is out March 31st.
Image: Rolling Stone