Like a shaken can of soda; post-punk/noise-rock from Kaurna Land, Through a juxtaposition of experimental feedback, dissonance and rich vocal harmonies, Placement deliver a ferocious and often partially improvised live show, influenced by performance art. The debut single from Kaurna Land/Adelaide-based group Placement. ‘Harder‘ is an excellent song to introduce us to the band, ‘Harder’ bleeds with that “fuck off” attitude we love to hear, with the song written about the unwanted conversations customer service workers have to go through on a day-to-day basis. “At work you often can’t respond as you may want, but instead must provide the customer with a sanitised response to whatever they talk at you. I might not ever have said what I wanted to their face, but I’m saying it now” vocalist and guitarist Malia said of the song.
My favourite part of the song embodies this, coming right after the first chorus – “Get stuck into your daily tour of all the people who can’t say ‘fuck off’ to your advice” followed by the melodic chemistry of the guitars, bass, and percussion that play so well together to drive the themes of the song home. It’s a song to listen to on the way home from work on the busy roads, thinking about all the dense interactions you’ve had that day.
The song seemingly comes to a close at the two-and-a-half minute mark in a crash of feedback guitars and cymbals, before the band bring us back for one more finale, getting you all excited for what the band will bring us next. The track has a post-punk frenzied guitar attack that has an interesting mix of spoken word vocals and a more art-rock vibe, like a cross-between U.S. Girls, Protomartyr, and Dry Cleaning.
Released January 8th, 2021
Vox/guitar: Malia Wearn
Guitar/backing vox: Alex Dearman
Bass/backing vox: Kim Roberts
Clarinet/Sax: Stu Patterson
Drums: Braden Palmer
