Masochist Deliver Socially Gratifying Punk
You probably wouldn’t think of it now (Bryon Bae’s anyone?) but the Northern Rivers has a thriving underground punk scene.
Put on the map by the success of Parkway Drive back in the mid-2000’s, the counter to the glamourized counter-culture has slowly seeped outwards from the Byron Bay shire through to the surrounding towns like Mullumbimby as well as Lismore, and now bands like Dicklord, Drug Cult, Room 19 and Masochist hold the torch high for a younger generation.
Since releasing their 4 track Demo back in 2015, the four piece have shown (and the townsfolk they live with) have shown incredible resilience in the face of severe natural disasters that have plagued the region nearly every year.
I actually didn’t really think to ask the band members if that contributing factor to the band’s bond when I spoke to vocalist Rose and guitarist James a couple of weeks ago.
But I did ask them about growing up outside of the metropolis’s of Australia, the mix of cultures that exist within the Northern Rivers of New South Wales how the band’s sound has changed since it’s inception when they guested on The Band Next Door on 2SER to talk about their first full-length LP Bloom. A collection of 12 hardcore punk tracks that rarely pass the 2 minute mark and is their cathartic vent of the social issues that they hold in high regard.
Bloom is out now through Reason And Rage Records.
