The Pink Tiles

Review by Nick Brown

(The Breakfast Spread, 3PBS FM)

As much inspired by Spencer P Jones and HITS as The Shangri-las and the Norton Records catalogue, The Pink Tiles have covered a deceptively large amount of territory in a few short years. From the twee pop of their first cassingle to the dreamy garage bangers of their debut LP and even a Christmas song, they are a band studied in rock 'n' roll lore but never beholden to its cliches or limitations. They embody the "gang against the world" lifestyle of great bands without the tiresome egocentricity that clutters pub stages as much as halls of fame.

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#1 Fan is broad in scope, both musically and thematically. Catchy pop hooks and sharp vocal harmonies abound but they're welded to scorching highway rock 'n' roll. 'Sammy' sounds like it's been ripped from the cassette player of Mad Max's 1973 XB GT Interceptor. There's an unlikely parallel here with early Dinosaur Jr's obsession with burying pop melodicism under walls of fuzz. Naturally, The Pink Tiles deliver it the other way round - the earworms front and centre with noise and gravel crunch trailing in their wake. Jim Diamond's mix finds a poised balance that allows these forces to work in harmony rather than competition.

The Pink Tiles are grounded in an understanding that rock 'n' roll lifers come in all varieties - from sweaty, charismatic front people to gig pig super fans and bookish, fastidious record collectors. This album is a celebration of the love that drives people to dedicate their lives to the weird sub-cultures of independent music. #1 Fan is ultimately a love letter to music communities - from Melbourne to Memphis - and all the characters who make them possible. At a time in which the cult of individualism has reached sickening proportions, The Pink Tiles remind us why we actually fell in love with rock 'n' roll in the first place.