I woke up this Friday morning with burning questions that I hoped would be answered on this day of high-profile album releases. Would Charli XCX really go rock? (No) Would all the songs on The Strokes new album be auto-tuned? (No) How many songs starting with “J” would the listeners of WBER Rochester community radio, come up with for today’s all-request Friday Morning Show? (36)
But, to be honest, I didn’t make it past Tally by Body Type, delivered to me by the algorithm. It’s the 3rd full-length album by this quartet of Australian women, and I like it a lot, so I wanted to tell you all about it right away.
Sarah Tudzin of illuminati hotties, during their Tiny Desk Concert, tagged her musical style as “Tenderpunk”. I would put Body Type in that basket as well. Their musical style has roots in punk, softened by power pop and indie rock influences. It isn’t (always) angry - instead the songwriting brings uplifting messages, poetic imagery, feminism and introspection. Body Type all have day jobs and side gigs, so this album was recorded in the short span of 3 months. “We don’t mind if things are a little rough around the edges,” said singer/guitarist Sophie McComish in an Under the Radar interview, and the music is the better for it. There’s an immediacy to the recordings similar to a live performance, and nothing is over-polished. Multiple overlapping singing voices and simple melodic lines add to the homegrown feeling, but the songwriting is satisfyingly deep.
The lead single “And What Else?” jumps right into the middle of a flirty conversation, one partner asking what the other likes about them, and the other gushing about their “good music taste” and “fine round hind”. It’s a masterpiece of call and response, with an infectious, double-snare backbeat (think “That Thing You Do”), sing-along chorus and overlayed guitar hooks. Maybe I’m a sap, but Carolyn Hax has sunk in for me, so it’s refreshing to hear healthy relationships portrayed in music, where one person states their needs in a vulnerable way (“Tell me things I don’t believe about myself”), and their partner understands the assignment - to loudly be their number 1 fan.
