It’s kind of ironic that the perfect summer rock album has arrived from Australia just as they’re entering their colder months. But for those of us who are getting ready for a heatwave, Body Type’s ‘Expired Candy’ is going to be the soundtrack of the summer. Arriving a year after their debut album and a string of tours with the likes of Fontaines D.C., PIXIES and Wolf Alice, the Aussie four-piece lean further into their spiky riffs and punk-tinged vocals to offer up a rock album for a day at the beach.
From the very beginning of the album, Body Type launch straight in with an introduction to their DIY indie-punk style on the effortlessly catchy ‘Holding On’. ‘Summer Forever’ follows quickly, incorporating some surf rock elements for an unsurprisingly beachy outing and a fantastic summer jam. Lyrically, the album touches on more romantic themes, portraying a relaxed, comfortable relationship through sweet lyrics like “My favourite song is the one you’re singing in the next room / harmonising with the vacuum” on ‘Tread Overhead’. It keeps the summer of love vibes going strong with a chilled-out feeling of freedom that resonates throughout the album. They have their more political moments, however, with ‘Miss The World’ loudly proclaiming “Grab ‘em by the pussy/ you just can’t ignore that”.
The band have really honed their craft on this album with guitars and vocals – both brought by Sophie McComish and Annabel Blackman – working in perfect tandem to support each other and create a really lovely duet. The riffs are stripped back but spiky, in the background but never forgotten, with ‘Weekend’, ‘Summer Forever’ and ‘Miss The World’ showing off the very best of this development. Instead of overshadowing the other elements at play from Body Type, this style accentuates and highlights all of the band’s best qualities.
Most of the highlights on the album bombard you at the beginning of the album. ‘Holding On’, ‘Summer Forever’ and ‘Weekend’ are a perfect trilogy to get things off to a great start and introduce their brand of summery surf-rock. Although the tracks start to lose some of that opening momentum towards the middle of the album with dreamier songs like ‘Tread Overhead’ and ‘Sha La La’, ‘Miss The World’ launches back in with a more riot grrrl, grungy feel to give ‘Expired Candy’ a boost of energy. These sharper moments, like the title track, draw parallels with predecessors like Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill, while more low-key moments like ‘Albion Park’ remind us of indie contemporaries like Wet Leg.
On their sophomore album, Body Type have created an enticing atmosphere that fuses nostalgic surf rock and riot girl with a modern take on indie rock. The result is a solid summer rock album to play from your portable speaker on a day at the beach that sees the promising young band evolve and develop an already appealing sound.
7/10
Words: Vicky Greer
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