ALBUM REVIEW: Hurry Up and Wait – Dune Rats

Have you ever wondered what it was about the glory days of BLINK 182 that was so, well, glorious? It was a lot to do with that despite the fact the band had their tongue wedged firmly in their cheeky, their songs have enough drive, bounce, and likability to capture a generation. Now DUNE RATS are unfortunately not quite at the level of capturing a generation, but in their homeland of Australia they have done pretty well for themselves. Hitting number one in the charts with their previous record The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit, as well as following it up with sold out global tours, the DUNE RATS trio have already proven themselves to have a degree of ability to the shenanigans. 

Now landing with Hurry Up and Wait, DUNE RATS are serving their third release up with a decent amount of levity. Which is welcome, given current circumstances across the world. There’s a decent bit of urgency across the record as well, clocking in at a heart 28 minutes and with none of it out staying its welcome as well. From the inebriated introduction, Bobby D kicks off with a fun bounce. Rubber Arm and No Plans offer a double bill of catchy pop punk that provides some pretty easy hooks to sink into. The verse in Rubber Arm is particularly fun vocally, and when you add in the added pinch of Aussie accent flourishes and DUNE RATS sound like they’re having a lot of fun. And it’s pretty infectious.  

DUNE RATS have a really great sense of structure in their songs, both in allowing the choruses to take centre stage at all points, but also in the strength of their rhythm sections. The bass on The Kids Will Know was a large reason for how massive the album sounded, and the band sounded subsequently. Whilst the mix does allow for the bass to shine on Hurry Up, the band just don’t hit as hard as they did in the past. This isn’t to say tracks like Crazy won’t bring any of their audiences to a massive swell though, when Hurry Up needs to kick things up a gear it knows how to. 

Crazy is also one of the fewer tracks that offer a bit more of substance to their lyrical content, with Bad Habits following up with a pretty carefree opinion on things like the smoking habits of a lot of DUNE RATS fans. The stoner trio aren’t afraid to let their silliness shine through in everything they do, and when combined with the simple drive of a lot of these songs, it’s not hard to understand why stuff like this is probably as much fun to smoke to as the likes of ELECTRIC WIZARD. 

DUNE RATS have affirmed their identity as carefree pop punkers who are doing pretty well for an entirely self made unit. From their humble DIY beginnings to where they are now, Hurry Up and Wait is a much needed slice of levity in what has turned out to be a frantically shit first month of 2020. What good is pop punk if it can’t put a massive grin on your face and make you want to bounce around like an idiot. We defy you not to enjoy the sheer brilliance of Mountains Come and Go But Aussie Pub Rock Lives On (Forever) or resist the immature energy of If My Bong Could Talk. And yes, there might not be much to really sink your teeth into substance wise, you still come out the other end of this album with time well spent. Everyone needs to have fun after all. 

Rating: 7/10

Hurry Up and Wait is out now via Ratbag Records/BMG.

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