“Music is only one way to communicate,” explains Xero, the well-spoken vocalist who contributes a lot of social commentary on the band’s blog. He believes that growing up, many people are “very restricted in the creativity that [they] are allowed or are willing to show,” and dropbunny is really “a celebration of doing things which are outside the norm.”
With a children’s book (Lilly, released June last year) and a themed video game also strung in their cross-formatting bow, a concerted interest in social phenomena and psychology is apparent in the quotes and literature included amongst the band’s web material. In particular, Lilly’s message about police violence caused a small stir, with the Herald Sun and a daytime television program picking it up as an example of misspent youth angst. The reaction was “surprising but pretty cool,” says Xero. The moral tale was another attempt, like their music, to get people “out of their normal perceptual day-to-day systems.” Artwork for the book was created by Blackjack, vocalist and guitarist for the band, and copies are available for sale from dropbunny’s website.
As well as words from prominent psychologists about creativity and the conformist systems forced upon young children, there are a number of phony bios hidden in the band’s site. Xero admits there’s a tongue-in-cheek aspect to parts of what dropbunny do, and mixing the “creative and ridiculous” is important; There’s a shared interest in “combining the ‘negative’ emotions that you have with metal, generally, with light-hearted stuff,” he says, “without taking the piss out of the darker side of things that you’re working on.”
The four track preview for the new album showcases some technical proficiency, particularly in the opening track Pentagonal Plywood Prison. Haunting operatic voices are met by a firm rhythm section, with Xero’s vocals in turn moving from a wheedling Brian Molko to violent, spat strength in the heavy sections. There is an accompanying video which depicts a young woman going through the monotony of a cube drone’s morning ritual, preparing for work. In one memorable shot she stares blandly into the camera as she stuffs a piece of toast down her gullet. The other stand-out track is Another Lost Kid, featuring tight, brash guitar and thumping drums meshed together with an artful result.
Although they haven’t trained classically, dropbunny’s members all have experience playing different styles which adds to the “underlying narrative” of their songs, and the ability to mix their methods. An artery of metal still links all parts, and although they haven’t quite reached the zenith of their sound’s maturity, dropbunny’s enthusiastic and eclectic approach proclaims that they are not about to run out of steam.
The band’s release will be a grand show with the boys accompanied by Death of Art, Hybrid Nightmare, Moth and BROOZER. The latter in particular Xero credits with creating “very, very unusual music,” and adds that it’s not often you get to play with a group of bands whom you all really admire. With the release date for dropbunny’s album initially scheduled for September of 2011, there should be a slew of fans attending to celebrate the long-awaited occasion.
BY ZOË RADAS
