Since starting out in Brisbane in 1991 Screamfeeder have played in Adelaide more times than I could possibly remember. They’re one of the best bands this country has produced and are still going strong after three decades. 

Their brand new album ‘Five Rooms’ opens with ‘Day Crew’ – a short and sharp song that gives the album its name. The Tim Steward sung track captures the anxiety and uncertainty of living through covid and wraps it up in a catchy melody. ‘Don’t Get Me Started’ is a new wave-ish song with a spectacular Kellie Lloyd bassline and a hooky melody that will get stuck in your head. Steward and Lloyd’s vocal harmonies are effortless and a comforting presence, the kind that come about after 30 years of friendship and playing in the same band.

‘Late to the Party’ is all 90s style shoegaze guitars and atmospheric vocals. The song opens with a gloriously messy/noisy guitar solo before Lloyd’s vocal emerges from distorted and feedback drenched guitars for the remainder of the track. ‘Deirdre’ – a song about a friendship or relationship that has gone wrong because the parties have changed over time – is as close as the band gets to their indie punk origins. ‘Break it Clean’ features lush vocal harmonies and guitars with lyrics about the desire to make a fresh start. ‘State to State’ is another catchy and upbeat song with incongruous subject matter. Album closer ‘Try to Find Us’ is an intense but haunting song that poses questions about the perpetuation of the patriarchy and male violence. The song doesn’t provide answers, but it doesn’t have to. These are big questions that need to be properly examined and addressed and putting it out there is only the start. It’s a complex issue that will take time to unravel and dismantle.

Screamfeeder have been an essential part of the Australian indie rock scene for three decades now and they have nothing left to prove. They could have continued to tour off the impressive quality of their back catalogue like so many other lesser bands. Instead, they’ve released yet another superb record that adds to their already substantial legacy.