We’re glad to announce that Townsville, Australia-based indie rock band Poison Oak have released a new single, entitled “Hope You Like The View.”
Hailing from North Queensland, Poison Oak is comprised of members Ray Pearson, James Balthes, Chris Reiterer and Russell West. After a string of singles, including “Sarah” (our review here), “Losing Ourselves” (our review here), and “Weekend Blues” (our review here), as well as two EP’s (The Living Room Sessions and 1996 (our review here)), Poison Oak have now returned with another excellent release.
“Hope You Like The View” is Poison Oak’s third single from their upcoming EP, The View From Here. The song explores the themes of choices, and sometimes how someone’s unexpected choices can affect the people they’re close to. Produced by Mike Myers, the track is a continuation of Poison Oak’s change in sound, featuring memorable guitar riffs, thicker textures, melodic vocals, and reflective lyrics. With catchy punk rock motifs and textures that are reminiscent of The Cure and Blink 182, “Hope You Like View” builds on the success of the previous two singles from their upcoming EP, “Losing Ourselves” and “Weekend Blues.”
“Hope You Like The View” begins with an opening electric guitar riff, and it’s soon joined by the dynamic rhythms of the bass and drums. As the first verse begins, staccato rhythm guitar chords work synergistically with the bass and drums, highlighting the track’s compelling vocal melodies, which are interspersed with catchy lead guitar riffs. Powerful electric guitar chords underscore the bridge into the chorus, which has a wonderfully nostalgic quality. “Hope You Like The View” is quite an enjoyable listen from beginning to end, showcasing Poison Oak’s brilliant songwriting and superb musicianship; at the same time that the track continues the evolution of Poison Oak’s sound, “Hope You Like The View” further establishes their status as rising stars in the indie rock sphere.
I was also fortunate to ask a few questions to James Balthes from Poison Oak, so we can learn a bit more about this impressive group:
- Poison Oak is a great name for a band! Can you tell us how you decided on this name?
Well I (James) had it around for ages with artwork to go with it. I put it to the band and they were keen to go with it. The band is from a Bright Eyes song called Poison Oak, from the “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning” album.
- Which artists would you say have been most influential to you as a band?
That’s a tough question, everyone is influenced from lots of different artists. To name a few: The Cure, Violent Soho, Powderfinger, Killers, Blink 182, Paul Kelly Silversun Pickups
3. What is your creative process like for writing music?
There’s no selective process really, an idea comes along and it’s good, we bottle it up and go with it. Sometimes Ray brings along song structure or Riff’s to the band, or me James, brings a song and it goes from there.
4. Was “Hope You Like The View”’s theme of choices and their effects on others inspired by any specific events?
I think that question would have to be for Ray, he wrote the first verse. Then I built on the song from my own experiences trying to relate.
5. Do you have any upcoming concerts planned?
We’re playing at Palm Creek Folk Festival in Townsville for two days, then after that we are focusing on our album.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Give “Hope You Like the View” a listen:
Don’t forget to support this project and to follow on Instagram, Facebook, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Spotify. If you enjoy his music and are able to provide monetary support, you might consider downloading it on Bandcamp.
It also helps to stream and share his music; you can obviously find it in the following Playlists: Less Than 1,000 Followers, Fresh Singles, Indie Only, Alterindie State Of Mind, and Sickest & Dopest.
P.S. If you enjoy discovering new artists and fresh new music you can subscribe to this blog Less Than 1,000 Followers and follow the Playlist with all the artists that we have presented here!!!
This coverage was created via MusoSoup #Sustainablecurator
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