Late last year we introduced you to Hockey Dad, the surf-pop rocking, Simpsons-referencing best buds from Wollongong. The first signing to a great new local venture, the lads are now ready to release their debut EP, and we’ve had a sneak peek for you.
Salty serenades are combined with tight percussion, slick guitar riffs and a healthy dose of Woolongong, surburban boredom to bring you Hockey Dad’s awesome debut.
Hockey Dad are a couple of teenagers – Zach Stevenson and Billy Fleming – who’ve been tearing up the surf together for most of their lives, and now they’re bringing those skills to the Gong’s indie pop scene. They were picked up by Farmer & The Owl Records, the music enterprise of local institutions Yours & Owls and record store Music Farmers. Tired of seeing the talent of the Leisure Coast go unnoticed, the project was conceived to promote and support the creative community and driven by the desire to show the rest of the country what Wollongong can produce.
Accompanying the launch was the Beached Friends compilation album (which you can listen to here), showcasing a bunch of underground artists with a connection to the area, opening up with Hockey Dad’s own latest single I Need A Woman, recorded for their debut EP Dreamin’.
We brought you their first surfy single Lull City, which serves as the first track on the release. The energetic chords, splashy percussion and crooning vocals lead into the aforementioned latest single which exhibits a less dense sound, taking the jangly route to a poppier outcome.
A clear influence of recording the EP with Big Scary’s Tim Iansek, with quirkier vocals I Need A Woman could be mistaken for one of The Drums’ more melancholic numbers.
Beach House is pluckier and upbeat until the strummy distortion and tom-toms take over, with a guitar breakdown that sounds and smells like North Wollongong Beach. They’ve also taken a page out of the Ezra Koenig playbook, with ay-ay-ay’s forming the chorus.
Seaweed again changes up the mood with a softer composition until the chorus’ fill out the garagey rock sound, its catchiness feeling too short in staying true to pop stylings. Closer Babes brings it home strong with high paced, uppity chords, soaring falsettos and handclaps. The ooh-ooh’s of the opener return and wash over your ears as the record ends and sand comes pouring out.
Hockey Dad are charming in their approach to Dreamin’, with the ability to jump from saturated surf to sentimental. With some clear influences and subject matter you’d expect from a couple of coast kids – girls and beach hangouts – they are incredibly catchy in their execution. Expect to hear more of their floating vibes in the future, possibly at your nearest coastal venue.
Dreamin‘ is out on June 27th and you can catch the duo at Newtown Social with Bloods and Major Leagues on June 19th – ticket details here.
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