Eight years, eight fuckin years! Has it really been that long? Damn, I did manage to see them live in that time to be fair, and the set was all the hits that just cemented the theory that the world needs new music from one of Australia’s finest musical exports, and it might have been a long time coming, but boy is it good to have them back. I also have to confess that the last few albums had their moment,s but they also had a few patchy tunes, unlike the first few albums that would certainly go in the All Killer No Filler category.

With ‘I Only Trust Rock n Roll’, I’m happy to report, is a rush of energy and a return to their early days of urgent tunes from a hungry, killer band. Right from the off, ‘Alfie’ is a powder keg of fire and fury. Harnessing that urgency, a few choice profanities and a big fuckin hook that snags the listener’s ear amid a thunderous bassline, melody that’s understated but a real earworm. Stripped back to basics, the band have ditched the layers of sounds and the multi-part layers that can distract from the core of what made them such a fantastic band and gone back to basics. Top tunes played hard and with something to say in a disposable age, it’s cool to have a band making lasting, memorable tunes.

It’s not that I forgot about my review, but I’ve been giving it plenty of plays and just enjoying listening to the band kick out the jams and forgot to upload it into the scheduler. To be fair, it was released with very little fanfare this side of the globe. ‘Alfie’ is quickly followed out of the gate by ‘Roller’ with the familiar thumping salamander stick slapping the big end of the speakers and Chaneys raw Gretsch scratching away at the tweeter, making such a wonderful noise.

‘Strange Place’ tells it like it is with some social commentary, with plenty of swing in the rhythm, wheras ‘Private Hell’ borrows from some 80s new wavers and a generous side of power pop for the verses. The poppier ‘Don’t Tell Me’ and ‘Public Holiday’, have groove and on the latter, a darker edge that has that build that Living End made their trade mark. ‘Camera’ is the sound of Cheney giving his six-string a good hiding, just rocking out plain and simple its the sound of a band on top of their game just havign a great time doing what they love doing it sounds like a band who’ve fallen in love with rock n roll and by trimming all the fat they’ve gotten in to sonic shape and are kicking it. Rock therapy indeed, and by the time they get to the timeless ‘Gypsy Blood’ it’s a thumping groove they’re jammin on right there, no pretence, just the sound of a band having it large and going for it.

Closing this return to form, they might just have saved the best till last, and the title track is raging into the night, and to be fair, you won’t go far wrong with only trusting Rock n Roll. Join us and turn the news off, and just turn the speakers up, and let’s Rock! The Living End are in the house and they only trust rock n roll, Amen brothers, Amen.