- If you prefer your music more cut and thrust over spit and polish then may I recommend a listen of the debut album release for Brisbane trio Bottlecock. Right from the get go, with its eerie and forbidding intro this album leaves you in no doubt that you are in for ride. It's an edgy, dirgey, gritty ride to boot, but none the less a sublime experience. One of the pleasurable features of this production is the lovely live sound throughout, where each one of the three instruments is clearly distinguishable and if you listen carefully you can hear the snare rattle from the hum of the amps. The bassist, Ash, sounds like she's mashing right there in the room with you and the mic set up for the drums is genius: this album contains some of the purist drum recording I've heard in some time. Having had the pleasure of seeing this outfit perform live on several occasions I can testify that listening to this album is the next best thing to experiencing the band in the flesh.

Bottlecock are instrumentalists as much as they are vocalists and the fourth track on the album, Dumbledore, will leave you in no doubt of that. But the track does come with a warning – if you aren't a big fan of being lost in a moment and taken to places out of your control then hit the skip button when Dumbledore comes on as this track will transport you to places unknown within your very own psyche.

Another key feature of this album from my perspective are the gutsy, confronting lyrics wrapped up in impressive female power vocals, akin to Brody Dalle, Patience Hodgson of The Grates or Suze DeMarchi of Baby Animals fame. From a female perspective Bottlecock are so refreshing, offering songs that so brutally depart from the typical topics most female performers seem to wallow in, namely “I'm heartbroken since you left me” or “How could you love her more than me?” and let's not forget the timeless classic “Why don't you love me the same way I love you?” On second thoughts – let's forget all those topics and instead let us embrace “I'm gonna hang my body around you like a noose”. Ahhh – that's more like it.

If Bluebirds and buttercups and skipping through green fields on a sunny day are your thing then give Bottlecock a wide berth. There is nothing here for you, return to your sickly sweet life and forget the name; but if the bite of harsh reality is your aphrodisiac you will find pleasure here in every track of this fine debut release. Bottlecock – get it in you.

- Jae Salmon.