(Indie Pop/Alternative) Jonathan Boulet - Gubba - 2014, MP3, 320 kbps

The first time we heard Sydney songwriter Jonathan Boulet was five years ago, on a self-titled album that bubbled with nervous energy, clattering acoustic guitars and folk-rock sensibilities. It was a similar story with a stronger second album We Keep the Beat, Found the Sound, See the Need, Start the Heart in 2012, yet Gubba heralds a considerable stylistic shift.
In a move straight out of the Dylan-goes-electric playbook set to confound older fans and melt the faces of new ones, Boulet has freed himself of the beard and acoustic instruments for a raw, lo-fi rock LP. He blisters through it with unrelenting, Josh Homme-style riffage (Hold it Down, You’re a Man), pummelling any notion of his “sound” right into the dirt. The LP’s second half becomes mired in murk, but the rocking is delivered with such maniacal glee that it’s hard to resist.