Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Ball Park Music, Prawn Records 2022.
Brisbane band Ball Park Music has been around since at least 2009 when they met while studying music together at the Queensland University of technology.
They released their first EP, Rolling on the Floor, Laughing Ourselves To Sleep, in April of that year and it was immediately picked up by Triple J with the singles All I Want is You and Black Skies gaining airtime.
In 2010 they released their second EP, Conquer The Town, Easy as Cake, and the single iFly became their first hit while another song Western Whirl was nominated for two awards.
Their song It’s Nice To Be Alive (2011) was featured in the film Blended.
This success was replicated with each new release, with their debut album Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs (2014) named as Triple J Unearthed Album of The Year.
Weirder and Weirder is the band’s seventh album and many critics and fans claim it’s their best one yet. I agree with them. It’s currently one of my go-to albums.
Ball Park Music play an enticing amalgam of ‘60s – ‘70s nostalgic pop/psych rock and contemporary indie rock.
But they are not wallowing in nostalgia nor are they a tribute band. They have created their own wonderful sound.
Having said that I keep hearing snatches of The Beatles and The Kinks in their melodies and song arrangements and there’s something of the optimism of those times captured in their sound that is often replicated in their album art designs and film-clip work.
The bright colours, even the car that they are driving in their 2017 single Exactly How You Are (a Triumph 2000) is a throwback to my youth. (I still own a Triumph Stag – amongst other classics).
Ball Park Music’s approach is idiosyncratic and that’s why I love them.
They are refreshing to listen to when compared to much of the formulaic music that comes my way.
They write lilting melodies and intelligent lyrics and sing in delectable harmonies.
Great songs, performed well with no strutting and pretention.
What’s not to like?
