We expected pretty big things from New South Welshmen You Beauty back when they dropped the very first single from their sophomore album out today. Illywhacka was its name (old Australian for a troublemaker apparently), a moniker the final album shares, and with its release back in mid-July the band promised us another pub rock concept album after their last effort Jersey Flegg. This time they’re taking things off of the footy pitch and into the torrid and tumultuous world of online dating in the late 90s.
We loved the idea in the song.
And we’re loving Illywhacka the album something sick too. It follows the story of an online relationship with a bit of a twist: the gentleman in the tale is a serial scammer but (Shyamalan twist!) he falls in love with the woman he’s ripping off.
Opening track Strong Connection kicks off with that nostalgic familiarity of the once-dreaded dial-up Internet connection sound. The familiar You Beauty sound is there too, a low-down bass riff and the laid back vocals of frontman Will Farrier snaking their way around the song.
Take Every Cent finds the narrator outlying his intentions, Farrier snarling ‘woman’s a goddamn gold mine’. The song picks it up in both pace and aggression. Farrier’s warbling that he keeps his heart ‘to the left of freezing’ is just fantastic.
And lead single, the eponymous Illywhacka follows it up. It’s a fantastic three minute slab of 80s flavoured Oz rock in the vein of bands like early INXS and Mental As Anything. The narrator of the tale in control of his emotions but seems to be slipping ever so slowly.
Romeo And Julie features saxophones, a staple of 80s rock that just isn’t used enough today. The way You Beauty have it slithering over this song, in between shuffling vocals and more stellar bass-work, is absolutely fantastic and this is an instant highlight. Don’t even get me started on the solo that punctuates the song. Magnificent.
Pins Drop opens with a punk backbeat and a ghostly guitar riff. The chorus continues in the punk vein, Farrier unleashing lyrics at a machine gun rate. Another twist here, the husband of the woman he’s scamming had an affair with his ex-wife!
Sophomore single off the album Same Damn Thing is next and is hauntingly infectious, Farrier’s spoken word vocals venting some frustration in the verses before hitting a wonderful falsetto over the chorus, the song driven along by a punchy riff.
Phone Job is anchored by a dirty blues bass riff and staccato guitars. The solo splitting the song down the middle is an unexpected touch. The beautifully-titled Flake And Chips is washed out to the point of bleaching, drenched in the same kind of sun you’d eat such a wonderful combination under. It’s a real summery ballad, a romantic beach dinner for one while the narrator, whose game has been sprung, is waiting for the long arm of the law to interrupt his day.
How Cares opens with bass and drums and the line ‘this bitch has gone cold’. It’s an outstanding paranoid little post-punk number as the narrator wonders where the hell the police he was waiting for have gone and why they haven’t shown. Tracy’s Tunite has the narrator telling his story as a love rat on one of those godawful current affairs shows, getting ripped apart by Tracy (possibly Grimshaw). He pours his heart out to Dee, the scam he fell in love with, while Tracy rips him a new one on air.
Penultimate track Everywhere I Wanna Go is a straight rocker, the narrator finding himself in court but accepting of his fate as Farrier wails ‘Lay it down on me’. Album-closer Can’t Say It ends Illywhacka with a slow-burning and sunny final dirge, Farrier whispering ‘Love you Dee’ as the final strains play out a wonderful finishing touch.
A fantastic follow-up album all up. A gripping tale (one that I hope I’ve interpreted correctly throughout my listen to the album) woven across 12 tracks of stellar post-punk pub rock. It’s crystal clear just how much time and effort and old-fashioned elbow grease You Beauty have poured into this project. From the lyrics to the music videos and even to the amazingly lo-fi 90s website they created for Inti-mate Connections, the dating site that serves as the fulcrum of the story.
I’m already picturing the independent Australian films that You Beauty should be doing the soundtracks for. It’s not often that rock and roll tells this kind of compelling story, and these boys have made it an utter artform only two records in.
We look forward to so much more.
Illywhacka is out now via Rice Is Nice