DRUNK MUMS // Riding The Rock Rodeo

Dec 07, 2018 / WORDS Anna Rose / Once, Twice, Three Times A-mazing

Urban Cowboys–the name says it all really. A brash and brazen rock band from the ‘burbs of Melbourne via Cairns, pulling together a riff-rollicking album. Indeed, Drunk Mums know how to think outside the box and their latest album proves they have fun with it, too.

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“It’s how we’ve gone with all our music,” says the band’s bassist, Adam Ritchie.

Drunk Mums bring in heaps of musical tastes, interests, and backgrounds in music and mash it all together in Urban Cowboys–not only are they wrestling with such varied ideas, but it takes three band members to cultivated such a rich and raw sound. “We used to jam out the songs altogether,” says Ritchie. “As life’s gotten more busy, we write them at home completely and then bring them together in practice.

“Somehow it all gels together. That’s why there are definite changes through the genres.”

You might want to call Urban Cowboys niche, but you also want to say classic, and fresh. Drunk Mums are good in what they’ve delivered but there’s also a straight up grittiness, a long-hair-don’t-care attitude which is a welcome change on the scene. A Ramones vibe, a Sex Pistols vibe, balance is important for Drunk Mums in writing and recording. “We’re not consciously trying to do things,” muses Ritchie. “With this record we have a little bit in terms of [wanting] it to sound a bit more 70s. But using that as a broad term rather than a specific scene.”

I think people are enjoying music that, I dunno, maybe their dads listen to!
[ Adam Ritchie ]

Ritchie in fact recorded and mixed the album himself, so Drunk Mums really have that down to the ground grit thing really happening through every aspect of the band. “We know exactly what we want it to sound like,” he says, “Thankfully I’m good enough at recording that I can figure out how to get the sound we want rather than trying to communicate that with somebody who doesn’t know us or has a different idea for the band.”

It’s been a whirlwind of rock ‘n’ roll for Drunk Mums this month–the release of Urban Cowboys opened up November for them and massive east coast tour took up the bulk of the weeks. Luckily for fans of all that is pure and (un)holy in rock there’s still a chance to catch these mad, bad boys at a show! When they’ve hit the stage previously with their gnarly DIY aesthetic, Ritchie says people have loved their brand of throwback rock. “We have that success on a level than maybe other underground bands have,” he says. “I think people are enjoying music that, I dunno, maybe their dads listen to!”

“It’s hard to tell with this one because usually we play the songs for a year but now we have this ten-track album, we’ve never played eight of them live, ever! We want to play the whole album.

“I wanna say we’re ready to get up there and rock, two members have been overseas since we’ve recorded but we’ll get up there and play the songs right!”

In feeling anyway ill-prepared, it is all, as Ritchie’s nervous chuckles attest, still in keeping with the Drunk Mums way. They don’t not care about their craft, it’s just how they roll. “I think maybe we’ll just have to not drink as much when we play!” he jokes, “It’s gonna be very hard to control!”