Posted by The Chats are self-styled “dropkick drongos from the Sunshine Coast”, and they rip through their debut album at breakneck speed.
There are plenty of nods to The Sex Pistols’ fury and nihilism, but instead of the establishment-baiting of Johnny Rotten, the lyrics here are more akin to a Queensland version of Goldie Lookin Chain. Hence we’re treated to tracks about STIs (‘The Clap’), binge-drinking (‘Drunk and Disorderly’), and – perhaps the most Australian topic for a song ever – being refused entry to a pub because you have a mullet (‘Keep the Grubs Out’).
It’s often tempting to try and contextualise albums in a broader social construct but music often prompts a response that’s purely primal, and ‘High Risk Behaviour’ really is just a bunch of songs about being young, dumb, and on the beers with your mates. Some lines might have you reaching for your Aussie-to-British phrasebook – “Four Bundy rums in the RSL” won’t mean a lot to you if you’ve spent your life in, say, Plymouth – but the sheer energy The Chats bring to the speakers can be universally appreciated.
‘High Risk Behaviour’ clocks in at under half an hour which is a good job considering The Chats only have one trick, but strewth they do that trick well.
7/10
Words: Joe Rivers
Dig it? Dig deeper: Amyl & The Sniffers, Iggy & The Stooges, Buzzcocks
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