“You can’t help but feel like you’re listening to the next break through band – Bowie 68, Kings of Leon 2001. If you follow along with their music and their journey, you might be one of the first to the party, but you certainly won’t be the last†– The Idiot Check
Bursting into the music scene in 2018, Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have been making all kind of noise ever since. Releasing a string of singles 2019 & 2020 and later their debut album ‘Against the Tide’ in 2021, the trio have really started to place their stamp as a staple in the Australian rock & roll music scene. Their start to 2023 kicks off with the release of their upcoming single Leaders on February 20 – Pre-save HERE
Leaders was recorded at Alchemix Studios, South Brisbane (where the likes of Paul Kelly, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age & DZ Deathrays have all recorded). The track was engineered with Erik Williamson and was later mixed by Nell Forster at the Moon Room in Salisbury, Brisbane. Mastering for the track was provided by Matthew Gray at Matthew Gray Mastering.
Lead singer and guitarist, Thom Harrison, revealed the songs’ inception came from listening to a collection of old blues songs called ‘Sacred Roots Of The Blues’, released by Bluebird. “I was driving and a hand clapping bluesy melody came into my head, so I pulled over and recorded what became the intro of the song,†he said.
“I wanted to take a gospel song and flip the narrative to show a darker side. Lyrically, the song conjures a church sermon detailing how so-called leaders look down on others with judgment.“
Harrison further developed the song with a nod to nefarious American cult leaders and televangelists like Robert Tilton and Jim Jones of the Jonestown massacre.
Well-known for their high energy shows with mixes of 60s surf pop, blues and spaghetti western sounds, the boys have become a mainstay across local crowds. Their debut album featured two songs on 4ZZZ hottest 100 in 2021 & 2022.
They have performed regularly in many of Brisbane’s most loved venues, as well as a string of festivals, such as Mitchell Creek Rock N Blues Fest, the Gold Coast Show, Tide: Redlands Coast Islands Festival, Mackay Beach Sounds Music Festival, and headlining the Boney Mountain Festival. Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have a lot of plans for 2023, so make sure you follow on the socials to keep up to date!
LEADERS IS OUT FEBRUARY 20 – PRE-SAVE NOW
FOLLOW HUGO STRANGER & THE RATTLERS
Thanks to Footstomp Music
