There’s a strong ~mood~ at the moment that real change simply isn’t on the cards. Real change is cumbersome, difficult, slow, and most importantly, doesn’t fit neatly into headlines or hashtags. As a result, real change (information) has been usurped by noise (communication). The ‘Having Conversations Industrial Complex’ is currently leading the dialogue and as long as that’s the case, real change won’t happen. But that’s not to sound defeatist. Fortunately, there’s an urgency being felt to break through cute Instagram tiles and adorable TikToks, and the latest cut from Melbourne’s Laughing Gear is steeped in this sense of persistence.
‘New Estate’ is the brand new single from the dynamic duo of Bryce Sweatman and Fergus Sinclair, who have come together after years of successfully traversing the world of underground synth-punk, causing trouble under the banners of Chrome Dome, Brando’s Island and more. Together, the duo have combined the time-tested glory of modulating analogue synths with a more modern take on abrasive Compu-Rhythm drum machine loops; all of this held together by incisive socio-political commentary.
“‘New Estate’ is about the grim Australian dream,” Sweatman explained to BLUNT of the single, in a quote that in and of itself is an affront to the ‘Having Conversations Industrial Complex’ in its brevity. “A false sense of success. A gross show of wealth. Eternally in debt.”
The sense of urgency doesn’t come through just through the track’s production, but also its storytelling. Such is the state of things that Laughing Gear have cast aside any whimsical metaphors or laborious poetry, and why would they even need them when their mere facts are enough to invoke such visceral emotions in us?
Chuck it on the card
Live beyond your means
Induced into a spending spree
Life is cheap, life is free
Let the interest accumulate
You’re a slave until you disintegrate
Let the interest accumulate
Living in your new estate
Chuck it on the card
Live beyond your means
European styled SUV
You can be anyone you wanna be
‘New Estate’ will be featured on the group’s forthcoming debut album, Freak Lemons, which has a street date of Friday, October 1. A previous single from the record, ‘Private Sector’, is already doing the rounds. The sounds will be brought to life with Laughing Gear hand-picked for the upcoming Flash Forward event in Melbourne, seeing 40 musical acts, 40 artists, and 40 inner city laneways all in cahoots for a series of original (and free) performances.
