Melbourne garage-punk outfit Delivery release their latest album `Force Majeure` this month which follows on from 2022`s debut ‘Forever Giving Handshakes’. The band are acquiring some high-profile fans such as American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter Henry Rollins.
The founding members James Lynch, lead and backing vocals/guitar,/synthesiser and bassist/vocalist Bec Allen had to fundamentally rebuild the band and recruited drummer Liam Kenny and guitarist/vocalists Scarlett Maloney and Jordan Oakley. The album title `Force Majeure` means “greater force” and is related to an act of God, an event for which no party can be held accountable.
The rhythmic shouty ‘Digging The Hole’ leads us in and according to the band the lyrics reference that “there are some people who take on the grunt work and there are some people who don’t mind shovelling the dirt back in and undoing all the effort.” The number rolls along but takes a more reflective melodic percussive tone briefly in the last minute or so. We enjoy a further pulsing punk-tinged offering with `Like A Million Bucks`.
A growling drum and bass combo launches `Operating At A Loss` which is what James Lynch imagines what goes on in a professional workplace with business jargon and colleagues competing to attain social mobility. There`s a kind of punk like attitude shared in a kind of fast paced stream of consciousness atop a revolving and rolling backbeat on `What For?`.
`Stuck In The Game` is one hundred and fifty-seven seconds of grinding heads down no-nonsense attitude whereas the thoughtful mid-paced ‘New Alphabet’ has a quirky jagged sensibility about it.
`Deadlines` and `Focus, Right` both have a more measured musical and lyrical outlook and really draw you into their layers. The former has a real energy about it while the latter is more meditative with some delightful rhyming lyrics such as “make a sandwich, learn a language” and “change a season, for no reason” which really amused me.
‘What Else?’ has an electronic underbelly and is a fairly mesmerising listen. There was a kind of detached contemplation shared on the guitar led ‘Only A Fool’ which for me became almost compelling as it evolved and closed out with almost competing guitar riffs.
The vibrant ‘Put Your Back Into It’ rages and races along with a brief guitar solo on route before the album closes out with `Exacto` which has a sense of nervousness or apprehension about it along with a slightly funky quirkiness.
There was much to enjoy on `Force Majeure` which was a delightful forty minutes of thoughtful lyrical content and some enticing and appealing auditory melodic tunes. I loved the fact that the songs switched between at least two different singers on tracks which allowed a sense of anticipation as to what was to follow.
There seems to be a plethora or embarrassment of exciting and captivating bands emerging from Down Under these days with Amyl and the Sniffers, The Chats, Drunk Mums, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Confidence Man and Delivery seem to be another from that endless conveyor belt of talent.
This quintet head over to Europe towards the end of next month and have four dates in the UK in early March that are a must see.
Rating 8.5/10
