There’s a thunderous, terrifying energy to their sound enhanced by lyrics that are often a scathing critique of Australian society.
Bassist and singer Thomy Sloane is, however, keen to separate the band from their abrasive reputation, with their third album Rest In Piss, serving as an opportunity for the band to channel their intensity into weirder, more experimental territory.
When presented with the auspicious task of naming the album, the band chose to be as impactful as possible. “It’s got a few meanings,” Sloane says. “It’s an ode to some pretty close friends who we’ve lost quite tragically over the last couple of years. It’s also meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek as well. Overall, I think it’s a goodbye to feeling bad about horrible things, along with getting over the tragedy of our friends dying.
“It’s my favourite album that we’ve done so far. I think it’s a goodbye to our old way of working. We’ve tried to move forward in our music writing, away from just angry punk music. I think it’s because we’re not really as angry anymore, more sad.”
The album’s artwork is particularly striking, with guitarist Paul Piss the man behind the disfigured face that graces the sleeve. “Paul did a whole series of paintings of weird faces. The one we chose as the cover was actually the first one he did. It’s a picture of somebody getting hung and I kind of think it looks like me. I’m like to Paul ‘Are you trying to say something here? Are we still friends?’ That’s how I feel when I look at it, I still really like it though,” Sloane laughs.
With none other than The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard in the producer’s chair, there was always going to be a new edge to the band that only someone with his reputation could bring out. “It’s funny how that came about,” says Sloane. “We were touring with The Drones in 2014. When they asked us to do a national run with them we were like ‘Fuck, yes.’ They’re one of our favourite bands. We became pretty good friends after that and on the road, we were joking around and said ‘Ah Gaz, you’re going to record our next album aren’t you?’ and he was into the idea. So then we were like, ‘We better write a record now fellas cause Gaz is going to make it.’
“We had nothing written at all at that point. To work with him was really cool. He threw in heaps of weird ideas that we wouldn’t normally think of and made us work in different ways. The first two albums we did were all live in the studio. This one was more pieced together which was really fun. We’ve never really done that before.”
Given the political climate, it’s natural for what is happening on our doorstep to seep through the music we listen to. Musicians, much like many other Australian residents, are similarly frustrated at policies and decisions that leave our most vulnerable in situations beyond their control. No other song articulates this better on Rest in Piss than Weatherboard Man. “The track is about rural people and how they are often depressed due to their lower class upbringing,” Sloane says.
“In the end, the sadness from that doesn’t really mean much compared to the sadness that the traditional owners experience. No matter how sad and depressed you are in your shitty little world, it’s not as sad as that. People need to acknowledge that shit. The whole album’s about darker times but nothing’s really as sad compared to that.”
Batpiss are an unmissable live act, the band translating the energy of their recorded music into a visceral performance. “I think because we’ve been sitting on these songs for a year now without being able to play them, we’re especially excited to get on the road. We don’t really get to tour much anymore but when we do it’s always lots of fun. I like being on the road, anything to get out of town.”
Sloane is admirably pragmatic about what’s going through his head as he’s playing. “We just like to play from start to finish without any stops. I hate talking to the crowd, it’s something I’m not good at. I just get in the zone.”
Sloane laughs at the idea of Batpiss being crowned the Kings of Collingwood, but it’s a fitting title to bestow upon the trio who have become an integral part of the Melbourne music scene. “The Melbourne scene is rad – the fact you go out any night of the week from Monday to Sunday and see any style of music is amazing. I like that there’s no competition between genres or bands and stuff. It’s just music.
“What I’d like to see more is mixed bills, not just the same music all the time, and making sure lineups are diverse in gender too. Just mixing it all up, making it all a big happy cesspool place to hang out in.”
