Helta Skelta

Helta Skelta

Nightclubbin'

Deranged

“There’s a weird one-off episode of Only Fools And Horses set in Florida, and a running side-joke is that Americans can’t tell the difference between a Cockney and Aussie accent, constantly confusing the two. It always comes to mind when I think of Helta Skelta. Given that Jon [Warpole]’s accent floats somewhere between them like a trans-hemispheric version of the ‘mid-atlantic’ twang, and that the tune itself plays out like a mix of Eddy Current [Suppression Ring] and Blur’s ‘Parklife,’ filled with Sleaford Mods (millennial John Cooper Clarke)-esque stream of consciousness wordplay and compounded colloquialisms from both sides of the equation, the comparison grows only more apt. Stylistically, the band has been leaning toward a sparser, more minimal post-punk vibe for a while, and this single is the clearest expression yet of this trajectory. One play is not enough; expect to be returning the needle repeatedly.” —Alex Leech, No Exposure

Helta Skelta

Beyond The Black Stump

Deranged

Helta Skelta is the newest face of Australian punk. While the group already has an album and a few singles under their belt, Beyond the Black Stump takes their sound in unexpected directions. This is the record people have been waiting for them to write—it’s hands-down their strongest batch of songs, and the recording does them complete justice.  Various elements have always been there, swirling in the soup of varied influences and ideas these guys soak in, but Beyond the Black Stump smacks of a band getting its ducks in a row. In particular, frontman Jon Worpole’s vocals have mellowed from an earlier, more aggressive hardcore delivery into a brilliantly snarky, deadpan, sardonic drawl that draws easy comparison to Eddie Current Suppression Ring or X. The guitars are tight, choppy and bright, the bass and drums pin the beat down with straightforward but rock-solid rhythms.  “… strips the power pop of the Nerves, Buzzcocks and more recent acts such as Dublin’s The #1s, and freshens it up like a late afternoon breeze from the Indian Ocean.” —Noisey