Grates, The - 19 20 20 (Single)
» The Grates announce new album, national tour - July 17, 2008
» The Grates - Club Capitol, WA - October 25, 2008
» The Grates - Metro Theatre, The, NSW - October 17, 2008
» Partying to death with The Grates - April 4, 2007
» The Grates - Question and Answer - August 10, 2005
» The Grates - Metro Theatre, The, NSW - October 17, 2008
» The Grates - Hi-Fi, The, VIC - October 11, 2008
My neighbours now hate The Grates. Sorry. After playing the 19 20 20 single, which consists only of a radio and a full edit version of the one track, back-to-back for three afternoons straight, they’re a tad sick of them. But I’m not!
I knew the track pretty well before I even got the single, it’s a crowd favourite at any live gig, but was curious to see what they’d do with it in a studio. Basically, they’ve taken a kick arse pop song, added a whole bunch of underlying complexities, and produced an even more kick arse pop song!
With the added bass, the horn driven crescendo, and the perfect capture of Patience’s effervescent vocals, the track has taken on new life. Lyrically it lies somewhere between utter nonsense (what the hell is 19 20 20? Am I missing something?), and angry chick rock (my baby’s round/ yeah he’s round the block/ my baby don’t know what he got/ my baby grr grr). It’s one of those songs that beguiling in its pop perfection; complex, simple, sing along, stuck in your head for hours. Plus I’m a sucker for any song where the singer vocalises the back beat – baum baum baum baummm!
If the history of the group’s releases are anything to go by (remember the high rote of Trampoline and Sukkafish?), the new album ‘Gravity Won’t Get You High’ out on April 8th is a definite contender for local release of the year.
