Song Review - Debbies - Sinner
REVIEW BY: SARAH BONNET
Photo Credit: Emily Blattner
PRAISE FOR DEBBIES
“Debbies sing about who are the real ones and who are the fakes while also proving that they're the real deal! *insert photo of man smirking and pointing to his brain*”(4 Stars)
Declan Byrne, Triple j
“Debbies coming out with an absolute honker to kick off 2020! The blokes levelling up with this crunched 'n fried burly rocker. (4.5 Stars)”
Dave Ruby Howe, Triple j Unearthed
“I've got lots of big time yews for this one boys. Way to nail your first release for 2020. I'm ready to take over the world with this track as the soundtrack. (4.5 Stars)”
Claire Mooney, Triple j
“Money is a thrashing three-minutes that feels like a snapshot of what's to come, full of rushing guitar riffs and pacing percussion that moves amongst these kind-of relaxed yet reflective vocals”
Pilerats
Jervis Bay duo Debbies just unveiled the video for their current single ‘Sinner'. The track was released last month and has already been added to Triple j Unearthed with spins on Triple j including on Home and Hosed with Declan Byrne and added to Spotify’s Local Noise and Fresh Finds AU/NZ playlist. The 'success’ of this track comes with no surprise if you listened to it.
From the first note of the song, I was struck by how good the guitar tones sound. The band seems to have mastered that inherent surf/punk rock sound. The guitars are incredibly punchy and listening to them feels like we’re in the room with the band, standing next to their amp as they record the track.
The song starts with a catchy two-notes guitar riff. Its simplicity allows the vocals to come in strong, immediately becoming the centre of attention. Noah Egan’s voice (singer) sounds effortless and controlled at the same time and drips with an authenticity that fits the meaning of the song perfectly (indeed, the song is about trying to be somebody else in order to fit in but realising you can’t be anyone but yourself so you have to be authentic).
Halfway through the verse, a punchy mix of drums and bass come in and lead us to the pre-chorus which is a catchy affirmation that being yourself might be alright. That pre-chorus would 100% be good enough to be a chorus but it’s not. The band decided to wait till after a second verse and a second pre-chorus to surprise us with the best part of the song: a vibrant and energetic chorus which will definitely be sing-along material when shows come back.
The bridge offers us a nice break by bringing the energy down a bit. Sounding like a dreamy interlude that includes vocal layers and synths, it questions whether being somebody else is hard. The pre-chorus and the explosive final chorus come as a welcome answer to this question, and again, I can picture the crowd going off when the band will play this final part live.
The music video they just released is a perfect visual representation of what the song is about. The video’s narrative consists of the duo being trapped in a really bad day on repeat for eternity. They wake up from a “massive night'', start drinking again and the next day is the same. To me, it really depicts that idea of partying and drinking too much just so you can fit in and “be somebody else”.
But as mentioned before, the song is also about realising you can’t be anyone but yourself and I think the video does radiate authenticity too: the duo doesn’t try to act cool or doesn’t dress up like bands usually do in videos, they’re just their usual self having fun together, acting almost goofy, dressed in their usual surf clothes. Like most good videos, it really shows who the band is and encapsulates their personality. The fact that the location is a local place they have grown around only makes it more genuine.
In my opinion, this is Debbies’ best work to date and I think that them and Teenage Joans going on tour together will be a great match.
Don't miss Debbies supporting Teenage Joans on their tour later in October!
MON 4 OCT - THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE – SOLD OUT
THU 7 OCT - LION ARTS FACTORY, ADELAIDE - SOLD OUT
SAT 23 OCT - CROWBAR, SYDNEY – SELLING FAST
FRI 29 OCT - THE TOTE, MELBOURNE - TICKETS ADDED
SUN 31 OCT - THE TOTE, MELBOURNE - SELLING FAST
Debbies will also be supporting The Terrys:
THURS 28 OCT - UC REFECTORY, CANBERRA
FRI 26 NOV - PADDO RSL, SYDNEY
“We couldn’t be more stoked to be releasing Sinner in the midst of supporting Teenage Joans on their national EP Tour. The shows are by far the biggest shows we’ve lucked out on and we’d definitely consider TJ’s some of our best friends in the music biz. It really feels too good to be true!”
Debbies
Artwork Credit:Tom Page
‘Sinner’ is out now.
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