Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice
Prove they're one-of-a-kind talent with Remember The Future? Vol 2 & 1.
Photo by Wayne Divine
There's no doubt that Dr Sure's Unusual Practice have nailed their band name. Not only because it's in the top 5 bands names of all time, but also because I felt like I was in a medical themed escape room while I listened to their new record, Remember The Future? Vol 2 & 1. But the sophomore album from the Melbourne outfit is one that you will voluntarily get stuck in.
Right off the bat, "Infinite Growth" blew me away. The relationship between the flickering riff and synth line has more chemistry than Hugh Grant and his Welsh roommate in Notting Hill. This was already categorised as a stand out track, but then the intricate chaos that tail-ends the song pushes it to be a contender as one of the best tracks so far this year.
"I Hope U Die (As Happy As U Are Today)" is a 'big Kahuna' of a track. So much so that DSUP throw the phrase in as a lyric. Frontman Dougal Shaw chants incantations that keep each variation of the guitar line going for longer than you expect - a characteristic that makes this track the gem that it is.
Then there's the Brit-punk x psychedelic surf hybrid that asks the question, "How Can Anybody Be Sober These Days?". It's a pacey little number that never dips in energy, for a two minute hit as addictive as the drugs it examines.
The second half of this ten-track extravaganza is probably what the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack would have been like if it had featured Devo instead of Meatloaf. But what's better than Devo? Dr Sure's Unusual Practice. The Melbourne band making Meatloaf sound like Schmeatloaf.
Fan favourite "Super Speedy Zippy Whipper" is another highlight. The four-piece slide from 90s classic rock into something you'd expect to hear in an episode of H.R. Pufnstuf. It's hard not to picture a face covered in bark coloured paint popping out of a tree to take part in the montage of "Yes's" before each chorus.
The slightly unnerving duo "Collapse" and "Stitch Up" are the biggest enigmas of the record. Not because they're hiding anything but because there's no knowing what's coming next. Particularly "Collapse" which at times, is driven by drums with a demeanour of disco.
"Temperature Talk" is the epitome of what this record is all about; an uncertainty of what the world could become and questioning who's actually keeping the future in mind. Themes aside, this track is the unmistakable sound of DSUP, a stable experimentation that dissolves into a well-polished carnival of sound.
But don’t just take my word for it, take a listen for yourself!
