The Top 25 Albums Of 2021 (So Far): Luca Brasi - 'Everything Is Tenuous'

When the Apple Isle’s beloved rock sons Luca Brasi unveiled their fifth full length album Everything Is Tenuous back in February, the immediate critical response was, to put it mildly: positive. 

After a year of shaky unknowns and doubt gripping everyone’s regular day-to-day, the title for the Tassie quartet’s latest release initially presented as one of bittersweet reality and grinding truth; but the end result for Everything Is Tenuous is everything but its flimsy namesake, delivering an indestructible home run of angsty yet invigorating pop punk.

Entirely embracing the limitations posed by 2020’s ongoing pandemic palaver, the road to releasing Everything Is Tenuous saw the Luca Brasi gents pounce on the inevitable decision to self-produce and self-record, ultimately putting to use the studio skills the band had been steadily cultivating since first springing to life over a decade ago. Musically, the album had already been well and truly in motion prior to when hand washing demonstrations and toilet paper panic buying reigned supreme; but when faced with snap lockdowns and ongoing isolation, the lyrical might of this burgeoning bunch solidified, evolving into a fortified journey through rowdy unease, sharp melancholia and just the right amount of hope.

From the delightful Aussie tinges and punchy instrumentation of opening track Never The Right Time to the nostalgic emotional biter that is Tangled; Content, Luca Brasi straddle splashy rhythmics and crisp guitars with the emphatic vocal stylings of frontman Tyler Richardson throughout Everything Is Tenuous. Gone are the raucous punk strappings of earlier Luca Brasi fare, but in their place lies a confident array of melodic anthems, measured rock and gleeful gloom; and just try not to feel like an angsty teen raging against the word in your bedroom when The Truth starts playing.

Luca Brasi are no strangers to sonically smashing things out of the park; but their fifth and most ambitious release to date is ultimately a masterclass in relatable malaise and stirring warmth. Everything Is Tenuous is the album we all needed, pandemic or no pandemic, and a salient reminder of just how proficient this Tassie bunch truly are.