In the nine years separating Fear Like Us’ self-titled debut and Succour, it’s more than just the outside world that has shifted dramatically. The entire band relocated to Melbourne from their native Newcastle, and they’ve recently added a fifth member, multi-instrumentalist Mark Jennings.
What has remained at the core of Fear Like Us, however, is their no-bullshit approach to perfecting the hybrid of folk, punk and rock. Succour is lean and cathartic, and equal parts brawn and brains. Vocalist Jamie Hay can still strip paint from walls with the best of them, but he’s raising his voice on pertinent issues, including the refugee crisis (Who Killed Reza Berati?) and the Reclaim Australia movement (The Lowest Form of Love).
The album might consist of just over a half-hour of power, but these are the kind of songs that will stick with you for the rest of the year to come. Succour is a bold, resonant effort from a band that, after several years of being weekend warriors, are back with a vengeance. Bands half their age would kill to sound as hungry, vitriolic and flat-out good as this.
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
