The Wreckery - Fake is Forever (Helixed)

Part of the original wave of post-Birthday Party Australian postpunk bands, the Wreckery made only two albums and a handful of singles and EPs during its eighties run. The sextet called it quits in 1988, with the members scattering to other acts of the era and leader Hugo Race going on to a long and prolific solo career. But the 2008 compilation Past Imperfect put them back on the radar, leading to some reunion gigs in support.

Now, thirty-five years after their final studio LP Laying Down Law, the band reunites for Fake is Forever. Original Wreckers Race, guitarist Edward Clayton-Jones, multi-instrumentalist Robin Casinader, bassist Nick Barker, and saxophonist Charles Todd, plus new drummer Frank Trobbiani, jump into a set of songs with casual ease, sounding like they’ve been working together for decades. Treading the same boards as fellow travelers like Gallon Drunk, Barry Adamson, and Girls Against Boys, the Wreckery tells a series of tales about spurned lovers, surly curmudgeons, and doomed sleazemongers looking back on their (elegantly) wasted lives. The sneering “Get a Name,” menacing “Smack Me Down,” and seedily funky “Dragonfly” combine rough but crafted rock with a noir aesthetic for irresistibly appealing songs that leave an unexplainable stain on your brain. But don’t worry – like a cool tattoo, Fake is Future applies a stigma you’ll wear proudly.

Fake is Future is currently available only as a stream and download, but will be released on CD and vinyl next year.