Recensione - The Prize - In The Red (English version)

Australia continues to churn out noteworthy records and bands, and for those of us who follow that scene closely, not a day goes by without discovering yet another name to keep an eye on. This is the case with the debut album by The Prize, who hail from Melbourne and confirm with In The Red the promise they showed with their EP Wrong Side Of Town (Anti Fade 2022), the single First Sight (2023) and last year's split EP with The Unknowns.

Formed in early 2021, the quintet consists of Joseph Imfeld on guitar, Austin Haire on guitar and Jack Kong on bass, replaced after the recording of the album by Ethan Stahl (former member of British band Chubby And The Gang), and completed by two lead singers, mainly shared between guitarist Carey Paterson and drummer Nadine Muller, daughter of Dean Muller, himself a drummer first in Voodoo Lust and then in the legendary punk band Cosmic Psychos, one of the bands that graced the Aussie rock scene in its golden age in the mid-1980s.

With three guitars in the line-up, The Prize have developed an effective blend of rock “n” roll where power pop is sometimes combined with punk and sometimes with classic hard rock, lining up a series of irresistible songs with a sound that blends the hooks of The Nerves, the rock “n” roll leads of Thin Lizzy and the minor progressions of the Flamin' Groovies of the following era with the fullness and power of the Ramones and the dynamism of the Angels of the “Face To Face” period and the early Divinyls.

Right from the start, they attracted the attention of highly regarded bands such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Civic, who took them around the world as support acts on their tours, which slowed down the recording process for In The Red, which began in 2023 and was only completed a few months ago. At the same time, at home they often shared the stage with legendary bands such as The Sunnyboys, Pavement, The Stems and Guitar Wolf, as well as their friends King Gizzard, The Murlocs and The Chats.

With all these references, to which many others could be added, one might think that we are dealing with yet another derivative band, were it not for the quality of the songs that the Melbourne quintet has put into this debut album. The difference always lies in how the rock guidelines we know by heart are presented, which is why the vocal harmonies, harmonic progressions, rhythmic solidity and guitar riffs on display are likely to make you fall in love at first listen.

It is no coincidence that before reaching Had It Made, the single that preceded the album, The Prize slip in four songs that are an adrenaline rush: from the opening track Connie, which plays on a linear guitar riff and is later doubled by solos between one guitar and another, moving on to the next track, Static Love Affair, where the sound becomes more classic, and then giving way to the super catchy Don't Need 'Em with its irresistible chorus and an unstoppable explosion of relentless power pop energy, which is also confirmed in the next track, From The Night.

All of these songs could be potential singles with great radio appeal, as confirmed by the sequence that puts the aforementioned Had It Made and First Sight one after the other, the latter referencing a famous single that made Australian rock history, 'At The First Sight' by the ever-popular The Stems, and which can be cited as the manifesto track not only of this album but of The Prize's entire first production.

We could already consider ourselves satisfied with what we have heard so far, were it not for the fact that there are still gems to come, such as Down The Street, which serves to continue a journey that takes us immediately to Looking For A Reason, before moving on to the equally energetic Say You're Mine and Reaction, which bring to mind another clear influence, namely the Buzzcocks. There is a bit of a respite in the last track, Silver Bullet, where The Prize slow down the pace a little, but only slightly.

In the end, you just want to start the album over again to discover all the hidden nuances between the folds of this record, which immediately makes you want to find out what will come after this near-perfect start to their career. For those who don't want to wait for what we don't believe will be a short wait, you can listen to the various collaborations that the band members have recently started to cultivate: Nadine and Ethan have joined Josh Hardy of The Chats and The Unknowns in Loose Lips, whose album Last Laugh has just been released. Joe with The States recently debuted on Legless with the album Gimme Joy, and Austin plays in the fabulous The Judges (an album, Judgement Day, and a single, Gun, not to be missed) while also pursuing his solo project, Ozzie Hair.

Italian version write for Freakout Magazine