We last heard from Australian rockers Hailer in 2012 with excellent track “Spooky Clams“, which had glimpses of both Luke Haines’ hushed infectiousness and The Fall’s sporadic guitar-driven narratives. Their sound beckoned to a unique mold of dark Brit-pop (early Suede, Auteurs) with a post-punk edge. New track “Digging Holes” remains in the rock spectrum, but more in the party-going fun rock-nostalgia manner of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, with heavy guitar riffs reminiscent of Mclusky. The track’s best moment is the intense chorus, where frantic vocals repeat “holes, we keep on diggin'” over intensifying drums and guitar roars; it supplements images of hurried digging quite well. So while “Digging Holes” is certainly a different-sounding track than “Spooky Clams” and perhaps less adventurous, it’s overall more exciting and accessible.
“Digging Holes” is a single off Hailer’s new album El Cosmico, which you can stream in full below, in addition to another standout track, “Crucify the Commodore”, which is just as crunchy-fun as “Digging Holes”:
