CIVIC

One of the most exhilarating bands in recent years, Australian band CIVIC reimagine the reckless intensity of proto-punk for an era of endless uncertainty. On their new album, Chrome Dipped, they further push themselves and their sound. “We’ve always done them DIY; this time let’s step up and make it sound as big as we could" frontman Jim McCullough said about the making of the album. That the band were willing to stray from the raw, distinctly Australian punk rock blueprint of 2021’s Future Forecast and 2023’s Taken By Force – an album awarded four stars by British magazine Mojo, and hailed by NME as “a blunt, muscly rock record that’s constantly on edge” – speaks volumes about the group’s approach to their art. Not content to simply repeat former glories, Chrome Dipped is designed to forge new ones. “I like the idea of Chrome Dipped being a mind set," says McCullough. "It’s like a casting of your character, or like an outer shell. One of the main objectives for this album was to make a drastic turn in our sound. Break the mold, melt the steel." The band intentionally avoided conventions and any real or perceived rules they had previously adhered to while writing and recording. The result is an ambitious and beautifully unsettling album that takes listeners on a journey. “I hope people feel a little confused at first, then a bit angry, and then feel good, and then interested, and then they feel like, ‘Oh, this is sick.’ That process exactly. I hope it’s a bit challenging.”