Good Boy Take Us Through Their New EP Track-by-track

Up-and-coming Brissy trio Good Boy are having a corker of a year so far, having kicked off 2016 with a lauded performance at Laneway earlier this year, riding the buzz wave to a packed-out show at The Foundry last weekend.

The band's palpable hype has buoyed them all the way to the release of their debut EP, No Love For Back Home, which made its way into the world last Friday, 1 April, marking an assured and mature assertion of intent from the three-piece, made up of individual members Rian King, Tom Lindeman and Stu McKenzie.

You might already have caught one of the band's first two singles, Transparency and Waste Days (Or Ease Your Temper), on triple j, RRR, FBi or 4ZZZ, but if you've missed them on the airwaves — or on any of the many stages they've graced in support of acts such as Homeshake, Viet Cong, Jonathan Boulet, British India, The John Steel Singers and North East Party House, then treat yourself with a listen of the full EP below, complemented by a track-by-track breakdown of the origins behind the songs courtesy of songwriter King himself.

If you like what you hear, you'll be stoked to know the boys are planning a number of shows along the east coast through till the end of the month, kicking off at Melbourne's Workers Club on Thursday 14 April and taking in shows in Sydney (Oxford Art Factory, Saturday 16 April) and Brisbane (two shows on Saturday 23 April — under-18s at Music Industry College, then over-18s at Black Bear Lodge) before joining forces with fellow Brisbane darlings Babaganouj for three final shows in Toowoomba (Spotted Cow, Sunday 24 April), Mooloolaba (The Helm, Wharf Tavern, 29 April) and the Gold Coast (Miami Shark Bar, Saturday 30 April).

Tickets for all shows are available now through the venues, except the under-18 show in Brisbane and the final show at the Shark Bar; for those gigs, see their respective Facebook pages (Bris/GC).

Punch to the gut

Green Dress

As a band, I think this is the one song we didn't feel too obliged to put on the EP. Another song in which the lyrics revolve around my ex-girlfriend; her stressing about things I didn't understand or things I didn't see the point in stressing about. It also explores squandering or wasting opportunities, putting everything you have into ambitions etc, and whether anything is worth regretting.

Higher

I believe I can speak for Tom and Stu when I say this one is the most fun off the EP to play live. A real crowd-pleaser (hahaha). This song is about letting go of your pride, asking for help, supporting your mates, admitting to things you wouldn't usually but should, but mostly it's just about having a good time with your buds. I think Higher is just hoping and wishing for all the best for your friends and family.

Waste Days

Oh man, we still love to play this track live but if I don't have a bass in my hands I can never remember the lyrics. It's either lost meaning or I can't remember what the song is about but, after looking at the words to our first release/the first song we wrote as a band, I guess the track is about one-upping someone or being the "better" person (not to be mistaken with being the bigger man/woman) and having disagreements with the way someone/s live their lives and then coming to terms with it or accepting it. Who really knows, though?

Transparency

Politics is pretty shit. It is mandatory to vote in Australia and if you don't, you get fined, which is frustrating because "they" don't give you anyone good to vote for anyway. Politics in Australia is a real drag. The majority of people employed to serve US and run OUR COUNTRY are truly in the pockets of the richest people and they seemingly serve their own agendas and strive only for power and money. Bloody ridiculous. I just want the truth. Some transparency. Good policy that is honest and real. Come on, it isn't that hard. I want to live in an Australia in which we have great policies and options. Ah well. C'est la vie.

I'm no expert at the end of the day.

No Love For Back Home

I used to play in a band called Goo Goo Muck with one of my current roommates and another fellow who will not be named. We were playing some party on the Sunny Coast with some other bands and at the last minute the fellow-who-will-not-be-named and another mate decided to start an improv sort of punk band and asked me to play bass. This unnamed fellow, named the band No Love For Back Home. The name struck a chord with me and really reminded me of my feeling towards the town where Tom, Stu and I grew up. This lead to the naming of the song and EP. I've heard he is pretty sore about me nicking that name off him but he stole a bunch of shit worth much more than any name of a song or EP so bugger him!