Melbourne queer creatives Cry Club have released their highly awaited second album Spite Will Save Me, alongside single Get Up!!!, and they’ve announced their upcoming Australian headline tour.
Three years in the making, Spite Will Save Me was written over the course of Melbourne’s lockdowns. Instead of lamenting the state of the world, Heather Riley (they/them) and Jono Tooke (he/him) decided to bring as much fun and creative freedom to their at-home songwriting sessions, to compensate for how much they missed performing live.
“Being able to expand what a Cry Club song could be was a really refreshing experience, landing in a time we probably needed it most personally,” Jono Tooke said.
By working with producer Alex Laksa Tooke said the duo were able to unleash their most aspirational ideas.
“You wanted to be in a massive 80s glam band? Let’s do it! Wanna be the scary, confident, strong queer you’ve always dreamt of being? Now you are!”
The resulting 10-track album, though heavier than their debut album God I’m Such A Mess released in 2020, is “still true to who we are as a band, but more self-assured and unapologetically feral,” Heather Riley.
Speaking on the band’s evolution during this process, they continue: “If our first album is about queer pride, this one is absolutely queer wrath. Most importantly we love it, and that’s the biggest takeaway for us.”
Jono Tooke added; “Bands who develop their sound and explore with confidence are the ones who end up mattering the most in the long run. When you look at really canonised artists and bands you can see eras play out, different albums for different people, and a willingness to either be someone’s favourite or least favourite act.
“That middle spot of being the boring band is truly the nightmare place to be, so I love that this record has a real strong chance at polarising people. I think the only carrying over element from the first record is the attitude that being boring is the number 1 cardinal sin.”
While fans can grab the album now, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide fans will also have the chance to catch the band live.
Tour Dates
Friday August 25 – The Vanguard, Sydney/Eora
Saturday August 26 – Tomcat, Brisbane/Meanjin
Saturday September 2 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne/Naarm
Saturday September 9 – Crown & Anchor, Adelaide/Kaurna
OIP Staff
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