Damn those infernal Aussies. They send a band over here that don't appear to offer anything new or worth bothering with, and we want to be all cynical and dismiss them out of hand. But then the band seduces us with their irresistable guitar anthems! Jet have done it with their brazen sixties revivalism, and now The Grates are having a go with their take on the ubiquitous New Wave sound.
Nothing about this track or Gravity Won't Get You High, the debut album from which it's taken, is remotely original. It's all been done umpteen times since Is This It took the world by storm five years ago: the angular guitars stutter predictably over clattering drums, while frontwoman Patience Hodgson sings like Karen O on a dose of happy pills. It should sound tired, lazy and stale. The weird thing is - it doesn't. Somehow, the results are lovable, danceable, and rather exciting.
Why concern yourself with breaking down musical barriers, when there's plenty of room inside them to make tunes like this? Mark The Grates down as "limited shelflife", for sure, but right now this is winging its way to an indie disco near you.
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