Collingwood noise-punks Batpiss return for their third full-length with a new sense of drive, and a melodic undercurrent running through the record. While previous albums have accented the band’s choppy metallic attack, Rest in Piss dives straight into the band’s expansion into driving melodic post-punk with tracks Paralyzed and lead single Weatherboard Man.
Despite the focus on rhythmic drive and melodic structure, the band has lost nothing in the power department, with the rhythm section of Thomy Sloane and Marty Baker providing the perfect canvas for Pauly Portal’s scratchy guitars, continuing in the tradition of Jawbox and Fugazi.
Produced by The Drones’ frontman Gareth Liddiard, the influence of Melbourne post-punk and garage-rock runs clear on what is very much a Melbourne sounding album. Mainstays of the live scene for years now, the brooding intensity and volume of the band’s sets has spread via word-of-mouth and constant activity and releases. Clearly a step-up from the solid but somewhat one-dimensional sound of the band’s previous two records, Rest in Piss captures the band’s punishing sonic foundation, yet expands upon this already established platform to delve further into sonic and melodic experimentation.
