Live Review: LISTEN: The Belligerents ‘Infatuation’

So I have to ask you guys something, and I want you all to keep a super open mind but… when did we decide that indie music couldn’t be fun? Don’t get me wrong, I love to sob along to a Bon Iver album as much as the next girl, but I also really like driving around in my car singing along to songs with lyrics that are a bit cheeky.I mean, I know that indie cred is super important and that I’m really toeing the line here but honestly, sometimes I just want to get funky in the driver’s seat at red lights. There’s nothing wrong with having a bit of a boogie now and then.

I know there are peeps like me out there, searching for dance-y indie pop. Well, here’s a secret for you: It’s hiding in Brisbane. Of course it is. Brisbane bands are taking over Triple J, one feel-good song at a time. Yeah, who’s cool now, Melbourne? (Jokes, you all saw what a mess our state election turned out to be. You’re still the chill state.)

THE BELLIGERENTS have the cure for the prevailing sad indie sound that ails you: their new single, ‘Infatuation’.

I could spin you a pitch about how The Belligerents make Eighties-influenced tunes and their music is catchy and upbeat and how it’s firmly lodged somewhere in my head, playing on repeat; I could go on and on in great detail about how they kind of sound like Two Door Cinema Club covering Neon Indian (but progressively more awesome)…

But I’m not going to.

Here’s what you need to know about The Belligerents new song ‘Infatuation’: they cram the word ‘equilibrium’ into the lyrics, and it totally makes sense when they do.

I won’t lie. I swooned a little bit. Then, the singer explains – and this is verbatim, guys – that he’s going to “take” the object of his infatuation “unconventionally”. As the proud owner of a gutter mind, I’m going to take that lyric out of context now and forever and assume it’s a subtle reference to kinky bedroom activities.

Cheeky lyrics? Check.

While I’m here, I want to chat to you about one of their previous singles, ‘These Hands’, specifically because it’s “catchy as all shit”. (At Purple Sneakers, we contributors have a benevolent overlord called Rachael and when Rachael asks you to write about a “catchy as all shit” song, you fucking do it.)

You know what indie music needs, guys? Indie music needs more cow bell – I’m not even kidding, there’s a direct correlation between the awesomeness of a piece of music and the amount of cowbell that lies therein. Luckily, ‘These Hands’ is chock full of cow bell.

To conclude: You should go to Triple J Unearthed and listen to The Belligerents. You should download all the songs. You should dance around in your car like an idiot; if you’re dancing around to a band that gets spins on Triple J and not NOVA, its totes acceptable. Then - after you’ve done all of that - you should write to your local indie band and request – nay, demand! - more cowbell.

Visit their website for more info.

Words by Cheryl Billman.

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE