Say “Aussie pub punk” to most people, and they’ll probably picture The Chats – wild, funny, brash. And sure, that’s where my head went at first too. But Mini Skirt aren’t that. The New South Wales four-piece grew up somewhere less ironic, less mythologised – and That We Know, their second album, reflects that grit and realism.
Opener “Pottsville River” starts with a military-style drumbeat before spreading into a squall of noise. It’s simple but effective – punk, yes, but slower and more deliberate than its UK cousins. The spirit is more Idles than Angry Anderson, more frustration than celebration.
“Roundabouts” captures the boredom of small-town life, while frontman Jacob Boylan – who also serves as the band’s lyricist and visual artist – half-speaks, half-shouts his words with a deadpan delivery that’s more compelling than any conventional singing could be. The album title comes from a line in “Smart Enough,” and that’s fitting – Mini Skirt are always balancing awareness and abrasion, melody and menace.
“Chew The Cud” and “Been A While” are prime examples. The former rages in under two minutes, filthy and furious. The latter stretches out hypnotically, almost spoken word, slack and cynical in tone. “White Range Club” skewers the echo chambers of social media while the music turns increasingly hostile – it’s nasty, and deliberately so.
Tracks like “Stay Soft” and “Ned Kelly Letter Box” bring violence into the everyday, painting scenes of quiet brutality without ever needing to spell it out. There’s always something lurking under the surface, something raw and uncomfortable. “Series 3” closes the record in poetic fashion, showing that beneath the grime and the growl, Mini Skirt are a band who mean every word they spit.
It’s punk that doesn’t require posturing, just honesty – and That We Know is brimming with it. Because if all that we know is bleak and sardonic, then Mini Skirt are all dressed up and ready to go.
Rating 7/10
