Beach Scenes by Cross Brothers

‘Excellent destructo rock/amplifier damage … cross classic Dead C non-instrumentalism with almost Jandek-levels of blunt No Wave refusal. Kinda makes The Blue Humans sound like Last Exit!’—David Keenan

The Cross Brothers are Tasmanian mainlanders, Daniel and Patrick Cross. If you’re a student of the subterranean Tasmanian music of the late twentieth century, you’ll probably be familiar with the Cross’s: Daniel played in 50 Million Clowns (with Sean Bailey of Lakes); The Gentlemen (with Dave Elk aka Drunk Elk); Karen Carpenter; Rentboy; and Secret Valley (among others); while Patrick played in Midnight Caller; Avoidable Droid; Rentboy; Drunk Hands; and Goodgrief Commune (among others).

In 2012, the brothers were joined by fellow ex-Taswegian, Duncan Blachford (of Exhaustion; Rubbish Throwers; Drunk Hands; Goodgrief Commune; Psychic Baggage; Keith’s Yard) behind the kit, to perform an improvised set in their former hometown of Hobart. The show was crudely documented on their 2013 cassette Live at Rat Palace – described by David Keenan as “slowly expiring nod-out rhythms that would cross classic Dead C non-instrumentalism with almost Jandek-levels of blunt No Wave refusal. Kinda makes The Blue Humans sound like Last Exit!”

On their return to Victoria, the brothers performed as a trio several times in Melbourne – cutting this diverse slab of avant-clang before going into hibernation. Nearly a decade later, Beach Scenes has been excavated from the trenches, presenting a comparatively hi-fidelity companion piece to Live at Rat Palace. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Patrick Cross in an industrial outposting of Reservoir, Victoria – Beach Scenes offers up four longform tracks which evolve over sixty minutes; shifting from delicate, amplifier chimera to bludgeoning antipodean destructo rock; surging twin-guitar tectonics backed by frenetic percussive splatter – a massively wrangled dose of freeform munk.

Antipodean underground imprint. Established 2010, Naarm/Melbourne.

'A label that can do no wrong, Australia’s sainted Endless Melt' – Volcanic Tongue