Radium Dolls’ full-length album Wound Up tells stories about leaving your hometown, ending a long-term relationship and entitled dickheads.
On the track ‘Rat Song’, they talk about leaving their hometown for somewhere better: ‘This town is a snake, no place for a rat’. The harmonica in the background gives it a proper country feel, transporting you to country Australia. If you’ve left your hometown, or wanted to leave, for bigger dreams, you will know how this feels: the internal conflict, the desire, the walls, the money.
On ‘Radio’, they have a crack at the bullshit that is commercial radio. If it’s not obvious who they're coming for, they make it clear, ‘Marty, Flipsy and Woopsy on the morning show’. I'm sure you can figure out the equivalent in your city. If that’s too subtle, consider the line: ‘Do a favour for me, could ya, turn that shit off’.
‘Daddy’ is a standout track, and the sharp social commentary will leave a mark. It follows the story of Ray, the son of a rich bloke, you know the type – everything belongs to him – who is entitled as fuck and destroys everything in his path. ‘Daddy owns half of the city’. The music video does a better job of capturing the destruction. Watch:
‘Moving’ is different. It’s a breakup song that really resonates. If you’ve had a relationship fall apart and had to move out, they paint a vivid picture of the mixed emotions you go through. Will Perkins does a great job of conveying his emotion vocally. His voice sounds like it’s teetering on cracking.
The band complements the lead singer nicely as he weaves these stories. They do an amazing job of building and conveying emotion on each track. Consider the track, ‘Moving’: they build up to a crescendo, then settle, then soften as he reflects… mirroring the emotional rollercoaster that is a breakup.
They’ve been touring as part of the album release too, hitting Tasmania, Brisbane and Perth, with Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne still to go.
In March, they’re heading out on their first international tour – travelling coast to coast in the US. I reckon it won’t be long before Americans start telling you who Radium Dolls are.
Listen here:
