Australian punks Skegss get close to creating their own paradise on Rehearsal

Thankfully, Aussie punk trio, Skegss, adapted this concept wholeheartedly, creating an atmosphere sunkissed, honest and altogether tantalizing on the fabulous Rehearsal.

Throughout, Skegss demonstrate themselves to be masters of their craft, stringing together snarling guitar riffs that chomp down on the verses, and hypnotic drum patterns that lay deeply immersed in the songs vast soundscapes. It’s difficult not to get lost amongst the bands flurry and, thanks to the use of vintage recording equipment, rustic charm.

Toying with ideas of surf-rock, post-punk and brief psychedelia, it’s in combination where Skegss feel most at home. To stick to one genre would limit them, adding a restraint where one needs not be. Within the record, there’s constant yearning for the past. Although mostly subdued, when it’s allowed to push through, it creates a nostalgia tinged with a soft sadness, most prominent on the moving “Wake Up”, an acoustic tune where a pained reminiscing lays omnipresent in the mournful tones of vocalist Ben Reed.

With each song oozing its own intimate mood, it’s difficult not to fall in love with at least one track. “Picturesque Moment” pays tribute to life itself, demonstrating how important it is to take in all the beauty of the world whilst we’re still able to. The jaded “Curse My Happiness” is a drowsy, sun-bleached huge punk number. The haze of the verse peels away to reveal a playfully aggressive chorus, rich with fuzzy noise and gleeful passion, and the rampant “Bush TV”, oozes comradery. It’s the band at their most together, and at their best.

Vocalist Reed said himself that “sometimes in our life we have moments that are pretty perfect—as perfect as what you’d want the idea of your own nirvana to be”, and, to be fair, that sums up the message of Rehearsal, it’s almost perfect, and you certainly wouldn't mind spending an eternity laying on a beach, lost in its mirthful approach to punk.