On The Stoop’s new single Hard Town is dripping with fast, loud attitude. We’re completely addicted to this cocktail of punk madness.
Have you ever heard a song that instantly grabs you by the scruff of your neck and takes you on a journey to experience the real Sydney? The dirty, smog-soaked city of sin is yours for the taking, so long as you’re ready to take a ride down its wild side.
It’s just like that, only you’ve been kidnapped by a deranged clarinet player that learned how to play riotous punk guitar. On The Stoop have laid it all out for us from the very beginning: it’s a dog-eat-dog world and you should know that before you get too comfortable.
The band wanted you to know one thing about them before you watch their video: “Fast cars, drifting, smoke, engine blow out.”
“What’s a better way to have fun in Sydney these days. Hard Town was written pre-Covid but now seems totally appropriate.”
You know what? I am about the furthest thing ever from a hoon, but after this, I think I’m going to hop into my Toyota Echo and do a few burnouts immediately following a mainy down Pitt Street, absolutely blaring this track.
The clip has so much bravado and core belief, it almost feels like you’re watching a clip from Sydney drill rap outfit ONEFOUR. Hard Town starts out exactly how every song in the world should, a chaotic “one, two, three, four”, signalling that all hell is about to break loose.
“Well everyone’s barking like it’s dog-eat-dog in the hard town. It’s a jungle out there and the boys keep swinging in the hard town.”
The vocals on Hard Town are unrelenting, painting a vivid picture of a person’s experience. It could be that On The Stoop either love the hell out of Sydney or just hate its guts, because it’s taken their money and sucked their soul to the point that nothing matters but getting rich quick and taking yourself for a good time.
The track leaves you feeling violated, mortified, and totally invigorated with solos from every instrument you can imagine; an electric guitar, a whole brass section, and just a bunch of screaming.
The crescendo of the song is a just a big fat, poetic dosage of truth:
“You follow the leader, you stay out of trouble in the hard town, the hard town, the hard town, the hard TOWN, THE HARD TOWN, THE HARD TOWN, HARD TOWN.”
On The Stoop play at The Townie in Newtown on Saturday November 28th as part of Great Southern Nights. Get your tickets here.
