Melbourne punk trio Cable Ties return with the album Far Enough at the end of the month, their second album overall, but their first for Merge Records. The Australian group made their debut in April 2015, performing at Wetfest, an annual non-binary-inclusive music festival spotlighting bands emerging from Melbourne's D.I.Y. scene. Since then, they've emerged from the underground with their intense, cathartic anthems.
On today's featured track, the call-and-response vocals of guitarist Jenny McKechnie and drummer Shauna Boyle may call to mind the interplay between Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, but Cable Ties bring a more '70s-post punk influence, channeling bands like X-Ray Spex and The Raincoats. McKechnie explained the genesis of "Sandcastles" via a press statement:
“Sandcastles” is a criticism of the idea that an effective activist community can be created by shouting down and casting out anyone who doesn’t abide by the social norms or language of an exclusive community or group. The song is aimed at a figurative individual who doesn’t have any interest in making positive changes in society or participating in open and productive discussions about political and social issues. Rather, they set themselves up as the gatekeepers of progressive groups by aggressively policing language and immediately casting out anyone who doesn’t abide by the codes of behavior they have created. This turns purportedly intersectional, progressive groups into exclusive clubs only accessible to people with homogeneous opinions, social and economic backgrounds, and ways of speaking.
