Album Review: Clowns - Nature/Nurture

Ah, Clowns, you’ve done it again! The Melbourne punk outfit provide nothing but the most raucous of rhythms, gritty of guitars, and volatile of vocals in their new album, Nature/Nurture.

Clowns break down the gate with no apologies in opener Bland Is The New Black, with sustained vocals and spirited, punching guitars setting up the rest of the album's focus on juxtapositions (hence Nature/Nurture).

Such is the furious nature of Freezing In The Sun you can almost feel the shower of spittle from vocalist Stevie Williams cascading over you. Clowns pull it back, all the way back, in I Wanna Feel Again, their melodies melancholic and their message pretty dark. The textural build in this one retains the weirdness of Clowns but has a certain beauty before the band leap into a rollicking rock rumble – a standout track, for sure.

Not ones to be pigeonholed, Clowns take the wheel and drive you on through a riveting amalgamation of passionate punk and poignant tales, touching on psych and hot hardcore where you least expect it.  

Left, right, up, down, back and forth, Clowns swing you around on their out of control merry-go-round – a punk ride that’ll leave you happily dizzy when you get off.