Newcastle punks Local Resident Failure have spent years of touring across Australia and Europe and consumed many litres of beer to produce their new album “This Here’s The Hard Part”… The guy’s have really upped their game with this album, and shows why they are one of the top skatepunk bands in Australia and quickly becoming an international name on the scene. facebook.com/localresidentfailure
Pressing:
700 x Digipak CDs
100 x Black Vinyl – SOLD OUT
150 x Mustard Vinyl – SOLD OUT
REVIEWS:
ThePunkSite.com [Canada]
LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE – This Here’s The Hard Part
Australian melodic skate-punk act Local Resident Failure returns with their latest full length, This Here’s The Hard Part. Having already proven themselves as frontrunners in the contemporary skatepunk scene thanks to their sharp sense of sarcasm and heightened social conscious, a follow up need only sustain the momentum first put forth by A Breath Of Stale Air. For the most part, the Newcastle quartet does just that. This Here’s The Hard Part makes for a natural, albeit slightly less hard hitting, next step. From a punk-rock standpoint, Local Resident Failure sounds tighter than ever. Tempos range from fast to faster punctuated by a few pace-conscious breathers; the rumble of drums make for a breakneck battering a la No Use For A Name (see “Failing Health” and “Time Machine”) with the occasional technical expose hinting at flashes of Strung Out (as hidden in the relationship-manipulation piece “Brainwashed”). Tuneful old school melodies and steadfast vocal harmonies bring This Here’s The Hard Part to life in much the same vein as countrymen Frenzal Rhomb. Lyrically, This Here’s The Hard Part marks a somewhat less confrontational or politically charged side of Local Resident Failure, largely opting for a more personal direction. Opener “Around The World” rattles off the protagonist’s willing destinations of travel to maintain affection. “I’d pack my bags tomorrow if you wanted to run away…” calls Dal, rambling off an expansive list of global venues: “let’s cross the river nile, slide down Everest… naked jelly wrestling in Times Square… I’d go anywhere just to be with you.” It’s cute, inconsequential and smirk inducing. Other songs like “Rockstar” poke fun at pop culture images like dime-a-dozen “tight black pants and a leather jacket” sporting auditioner typical of global phenomenon “The Voice.” “Re-Opener” revisits some of these more domestic themes through a more afflicted lens. The heavy hand of consequence lands for one of the most dire relationship-based skatepunk songs since No Use For A Name’s “Justified Black Eye.” Imagery of complete emotional disarray and drowning one’s pain in alcohol and drugs mirrors the scattered, suicidal thoughts of failing mental health. “Only one more thing to ask, pull the trigger or live a lonely life,” states the band, leaving this grief struck scenario on an inconclusive cliffhanger. Curiously, only “Long Night” and “Roll On 2” explicitly dip into the waters of social justice. The former paints a picture of orphans of war locked in persistent cycles of mistrust, and the latter a reflection as told from sitting on death row. “Into The Unknown” loosely explores what it would take to unite humanity and forget our petty differences through a scene of alien invasion, but its a stretch at best. Considering A Breath Of Stale Air’s targeted denunciation of racism, This Here’s The Hard Part’s political topics lack the same dynamism. All in all though, This Here’s The Hard Part finds Local Resident Failure carrying on confidently with fourteen songs of the melodic skate-punk they know and love. If that’s your thing, then Local Resident Failure is still one of your best bets down under.
Rating: 3.5/5 – Review by: Cole Faulkner
PunkRockTheory.com [Belgium]
LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE – This Here’s The Hard Part
Local Resident Failure is the kind of band that pisses me off. Big time. They’re all like ‘hey, don’t expect too much of us! I mean, just look at us… we’re called Local Resident Failure’ only to then go ahead and effortlessly shake out fourteen prime cuts of skate punk on their new album, “This Here’s The Hard Part”! If you’re into fellow antipodeans Frenzal Rhomb or labelmates The Decline or if you still regularly rock out to anything Fat Wreck put out in the 90ies, there’s no going wrong with this one. The only thing I felt was unnecessary are the screams that pop up in songs like “Rockstar” and “Newcastle Nights”. Other than that though these guys have the energy, speed, frenetic riffs, melodies and catchy choruses down pat. And as an added bonus, their Aussie accents are fun to listen to! Sure, it’s not like Local Resident Failure are doing anything that hasn’t been done before, but who cares? There’s no such thing as too many good punkrock songs. Score: 7.5 out of 10
Dead Memory
LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE – This Here’s The Hard Part
Local Resident Failure are a Punk Rock band I have been following for the last 8 years. Their music is catchy Pop-Punk Rock with influences from the Fat Wreck Chords Collection. The boys do everything right, with great records and a great work ethic. Some people may also know drumming legend Kye Smith from his Youtube drum videos where he will do 5 minute chronologies of great bands from Blink 182 to the Foo Fighters! Over the years LRF have put out a number of records such as You Can’t Polish A Turd which they recorded at Studio 301 to A Breathe Of Stale Air which I thought would never see the light of day haha. With a number of line up changes the band is still going strong. They are now releasing the follow up album This Here’s The Hard Part. The album starts with the first single “Around The World” which you can find a video for on Youtube. The song is catchy as hell and showcases the bands great songwriting abilities. “A Friend Named Hope” is a standout early on this album, the production on this album matches up with Blink 182’s Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and its clear of the influence here, this song a good fun Pop-Punk song! “Old Skool” is another song we got to hear early on. “Brainwashed” is a personal song with some great lyrics. Dal has really stepped up his game! “Long Night” starts off with a nice little acoustic part before going straight back into the LRF signature sound. “Rockstar” seems to be having a dig at the state of the music scene or even someone the band knows personally. “Roll On 2” “Into The Unknown” keep the album rocking on. “Failing Heath” a play on the Wiseheimer track “Failing Health” keeps the friendship going on this album after track “(Still) Kickin On” from A Breath Of Stale Air. “The Shadow Of My Former” again shows of some tricks this band has. “Newcastle Nights” a track named after their home town is a pretty cool track, this ones a bit more harder than the rest of the album. “Time Machine” is another more straight up punk song. “Sirens” and “The Re-Opener finish off the album. “The Re-Opener” is a great track, the song is a long punk track clocking in at 5.36. Its one of the best tracks I have heard the band release! With a European tour already in the books and a Aussie Tour planned for April I see this album getting this bands name out there further this year. If you are a fan of the 90’s Punk Rock sound or even some of the Pop Punk bands from the early 2000’s you’re gonna like this album. Rating: 4 out 5
PunkRockRadio.net
LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE – This Here’s The Hard Part
This is the first time I’m actually hearing any of Local Resident Failure and I must say that I’m really fucking impressed. The songs stuck in my head many hours and I’m sure will for many more days after listening. Local Resident Failure are a punk rock band from Newcastle Australia, formed in early 2007 and are influenced by 80’s and 90’s punk bands such as NOFX, Lagwagon, The Descendants and Frenzal Rhomb. Featuring Dal on Vocals + Bass, Dan on Guitar + Backups, Feffy on Guitar + Vocals and Smitty on Drums. They have a previous release “A Breath of Stale Air” which I will be checking out after hearing this release and this new album “This Here’s the Hard Part” is due out later this month. I have to say this is a great band, I can definitely hear the punk influences of NOFX and Frenzal Rhomb within almost every song. With songs that most punk rockers and most Australians can relate to, this one will be a high recommendation to all my punk rocker mates! From tracks like “A Friend Named Hope” which I think we all can relate to having a friend like this, to hometown anthem like “Newcastle Nights” staying with me long after the song ends. My favourite song is “Old Skool” which resonated with me quite well and is the kind of song I could get drunk and listen to over again. I would definitely recommend this release to any punk rock fan or anyone who enjoys good music! This album is out March 2015. I give this an 8 out of 10. Think Punk Rock. Ryan
WeLiveInHell.com [Brazil]
LOCAL RESIDENT FAILURE – This Here’s The Hard Part
When we talk about the main region of melodic punk we always think about California. But when we bring this question to the southern hemisphere of the planet, the answer is Australia. From there it came great bands from punk / hardcore scene like Bodyjar, The Living End, Parkway Drive, among others. But it is the melodic punk that they keep, perhaps, as their biggest secret, especially with The Decline and Local Resident Failure. And the main responsible for this huge quality and quantity of good bands is called Pee Records. The label has been doing an incredible work for a long time, and year after year presents excellent bands for the fans of punk rock and hardcore. This Here’s The Hard Part is the new and highly anticipated album from Local Resident Failure. After an overnight internet success of its drummer (making excellent medley videos from most known punk rock artists), the band proves that has unquestionable quality regardless of external factors that may garner more fans for them. On this record we have fourteen tracks from the best worldwide melodic punk. Faster songs, more rhythmic songs, here we find a bit of everything, but always converging to a captivating and unique matrix. “Long Night” is one of the great songs on the album that proves all that has been written in this review. “Newcastle Nights” is the faster one in the album and certainly one of the best ones, along with the stunning “Time Machine”. And to finish in style, the wonderful “The Re-Opener”. Local Resident Failure is already a strong name for fans of the genre that are not restricted to the American scene. But with This Here’s The Hard Part the band can go further and conquer the world. Talent, quality and competence they have to spare, and be in a country where English is a native language makes their way even easier. Either way this album becomes an instant classic for the genre and is shaping as the first big favorite album of the year! Recommended for fans of: NOFX, No Use For a Name, Diesel Boy
Rating: 9.5/10 – Review by: Eduardo Landlord
RELEASE DATE:
15 March 2015
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CREDITS:
CAT #: PCD062 / PV008
Recorded & Mixed by: Feffy @ The Studio
Mastered by: Jason Livermore @ Blasting Room
Digipak artwork by: Bill Hauser (USA)
LP artwork by: nelloforesto (Italy)
Layout & Design: Pete Pee
