Sydney hard-biting rockers C.O.F.F.I.N have just announced their fifth full-length studio album, set for release on September 15 via Damaged Record Co. ‘Australia Stops‘ is the highly-anticipated follow-up from their monumental 2020 release, ‘Children In Finland Fighting In Norway’. They’ve also offered up a brand new single “Give Me A Bite“.
The album comes off the back of a massive 12 months of touring across Europe, the UK, the US, and Australia. Diving in as main support for mates Amyl & The Sniffers on their world tour, and slotting in a bunch of headline shows along the way, C.O.F.F.I.N have clocked up well over 100 performances within the past year, stopping only briefly to record their brand new album.
Recorded at The Pet Food Factory studio with producer Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb), ‘Australia Stops’ is a record that showcases a collection of diverse and gripping new works that highlight the band’s evolution into more melodious, 1970’s Australiana and boogie rock and roll.
Frenzied, high-voltage guitars, thumping rhythms, flowing melody and clever, captivating lyrics exhibit an undeniable progression in composition and songwriting, while still unmistakably the C.O.F.F.I.N that fans world-wide have come to worship over their 18-year lifespan.
Following the release of previous single ‘Cut You Off’, C.O.F.F.I.N return today with a second chomp on ‘Australia Stops’ in new single ‘Give Me A Bite’. It’s the album’s opening track and comes out of the traps all guns blazing, tapping into their love of Detroit rock n’ roll and proto-punk.
“Throughout a chunk of the Covid lockdowns I was still working full time on construction sites and in the art department of film sets,” explains vocalist and drummer Ben Portnoy. “For weeks my Friday routine was to come home and blast this bootlegged Stooges LP from France. It was recommended and sold to me by Ray Ahn of the Hard-Ons who works at Utopia Records. It’s made up of piecemeal demos and blown-out jams by the band, all of which are bursting with amplified energy. I was really missing jamming with my friends and showing up to our sweaty storage unit/jam space in Brookvale with new inspiration from the week’s listening. Trying to resolve this, I got on the video chat with Aaron one Friday night and we did our best to nut something out that had a sense of that sound we love so much.
“What’s it saying?” continues Ben. “Well, you can only get for so long without giving …without giving me a bite.”
For those who are no strangers to the Australian highways, ‘Australia Stops’ may be best recognised as words donned on the back of truck mud flaps. To C.O.F.F.I.N, ‘Australia Stops’ are words that became a polysemous idea and observation on Australian society, culture, art, politics and progression. “When the city burns up you get out, when the flint hits shot you get down“, lyrics roared by Ben, a look into ‘idle-Australia’, our government action (or lack thereof) to social issues and the overarching notion of fear of change in this country.
While the theme ‘Australia Stops’ poses political questions and ideals, it also synchronously shines light on the eminence of community, the healthy beating heart of art and music, the beautiful landscapes and divergent nature surroundings held dear within Australia. With this, ‘Australia Stops‘ is neither a fully positive or negative elucidation of this country. It is a celebration of the things we are lucky to have, while always trying to encourage and inspire those around us to try and do better.
‘Australia Stops‘ will be released on Friday September 15th by Damaged Record Co (Clowns, Private Function, VOIID) in Australia, Goner Records (Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Jay Reatard, Ty Segall) in North America and Bad Vibrations (Los Bitchos, Crows, Baby Cool) in Europe.
