Aussies really know how to do super-sexy rock and roll, don’t they?
Crashing onto these shores for their first whirlwind festival and headlining tour earlier this year, Full Flower Moon Band, led by the infectious charisma of Kate ‘Babyshakes’ Dillon, set lots of little fires in the hearts (and loins) of everyone who saw their amazing, hip-swaying live performances. However, their third studio album, Megaflower, teases whole new perspectives on this Brisbane-based group.
It’s been nearly three years since the last album Diesel Forever gave us the first thrilling introduction to FFMB lean-cut blues rock dipped in weird psychedelic glaze. They could have easily gone heavier and harder with this new record, like their live set, and that’s maybe what a lot of the beaming, bobbing baldheads we saw in the front row were anticipating. Megaflower opens out however into a more experimental and diverse journey, one without any kind of agenda or message. Don’t be fooled, though, it’s still as biting as hell, loaded with innuendo and sly digs – pretty much Aussie staples – alongside an appetite for risk-taking.
FFMB’s humour elbows your soft parts from the off: “Your papa super likes me“, Dillon whines on ‘Super Like’, all powder puff sweet against a groaning, greasy guitar riff. This commentary on Tinder Gold users (“what he can’t get for free, yeah he buys it…”) twists darkly in its observations, carrying brass in one pocket and mace spray in the other. Similarly on ‘Illegal Things’, with its intricate psych-styled guitar play coupled with some hazy vocal harmonies, Dillon’s tongue-in-cheek musings on the afterlife are preoccupied with getting high, rather than redemption. It’s all delivered with a wry smile and a flash of teeth, but like everything here, while the songwriting feels familiar there are no safe assumptions about what’s coming next. Take the intense video for ‘Devil’ (below), which rides the inherent tension of a song that builds beat-by-beat, breath-by-breath into an almost-climax, suggesting along the way that it’s going to explode any minute. Live, this song brings out the best of FFMB’s powerhouse which includes guitarists Caleb Widener and Christian Driscoll, bassist Marli Smales, and drummer Luke Hanson. On record, though ‘Devil’ (like some other tracks later) is a necessarily tamer beast that sits at the edge of the hard rock abyss, licking its claws ready to disembowel you later. You don’t have to wait too long for that, with Hanson propelling ‘Westside’ towards FFMB’s familiar meat-grinder guitars and bass. Even here though, Dillon plays with the song structure, wrong-footing us at every chance as she screams distressed mic surrealisms: “I need propane,
I need gas/ I need high octane/ Fort max”.
The subtle yet adventurous dynamism of Megaflower stems from two significant factors: it’s the first time the entire live band has recorded together in the studio with Dillon, and the album is co-produced and mixed by Tony Buchen (Smashing Pumpkins, Troye Sivan). Dillon’s vision of “a metamorphosis with every song” is fully realised, with each track standing robustly on its own, regardless of style, while still contributing to a cohesive album. Recent single ‘Baby’, and closing track ‘Kiss Him Goodbye’ are two great examples of this approach, and showcase Dillon’s vocal diversity as well as FFMB’s ability to throw in some genuinely surprising softness among its coarser edges.
The second half of Megaflower is less immediate, leaning more often into sleazy, jangly garage rock and Brian Jonestown vibes. Standout songs ‘Alpha’ and ‘Man Hands’ provide more slicing sarcasm, again around stereotypes of masculinity: “I like your man hands/when you’re driving automatics/ I like your man hands, do you work for your daddy?” While the vibing, bluesy shuffle of ‘Enemy’ feels most like a mid-album track, it does its job bridging what came before with the latter half’s shift in styles. Likewise, ‘Come and Be’ dials the tempo down and turns up the heat, slinking and arching its back, as Dillon’s passioned calls for closeness turn on the sweet, soulful shades of her voice, readying for the gentle, piano-backed farewell of ‘Kiss Him Goodbye’.
While you certainly need to see this band live to get a true sense of their amazing presence, infectious energy and outright performance excellence, Megaflower is actually a better intro to their hidden depths and diversity, with ‘Babyshakes’ stage persona playing more of a supporting role to Dillon’s clear talent as a songwriter. As FFMB hits the road for their Australian tour to promote the album, they’re taking with them some fresh perspectives that will appeal to both new listeners and long-time fans. Megaflower blooms with the spirit of exploration and their drive to push musical boundaries, and just that in itself is sexy as hell.
‘Megaflower’ is released 19 July via Dirt Power Studios (AUS/NZ) and Silver Arrow (RoW)
