The BenniesNatural Born Chillers

What might have happened if Joe Strummer discovered Cool Ranch Doritos and Nintendo when he was writing London Calling? We probably would have ended up with something like The Bennies’ third long-player Natural Born Chillers.

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The Melbourne quartet’s short-as-shit record finds the band honing in on what they’ve always done best–namely the glitchy, fuzzed out ska punk that Bomb! the Music Industry damn near perfected during their too-short existence, without getting distracted by the genre excursions or jokes that could quickly lose their lustre when dotted throughout previous full lengths.

The Bennies have the musical potency to make your head spin, and if you’re looking for songs perfectly suited for your party playlist, the album has them in spades.

The end result is a super buoyant record–one that it would be excellent to toss on the stereo if you wanted to ward off a looming existential crisis. But given Natural Born Chillers’ brevity, it’s hard not to think the precursor to a more assured, well-rounded–and just plain longer–record.
All of the eight songs show off a band, whose affable charm sometimes outweighed their songwriting chops in the past, putting in the work to craft better songs. And the prospect of what they’re capable of grows into something tantalising over repeat listens to songs like Destination Unknown and Apathetic Revolution. Natural Born Chillers is proof The Bennies have the musical potency to make your head spin, and if you’re looking for songs perfectly suited for your party playlist, the album has them in spades. If you’re hoping for the record that transcends the band’s madcap live show and stands on its own two feet, the next one could be it.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Dreamkillers, Natural Born Chillers, Apathetic Revolution
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