Two years is a long time in music and a lot has changed for Brisbane’s The Grates. Right from track one, the current single Turn Me On, it is very clear that the band have moved onward and upward, sounding vastly different from The Grates of old. Heading to New York in the search of inspiration, it wasn’t long before founding drummer Alana Skyring left to pursue culinary arts before ending up back behind the drums in Neil Finn’s Pajama Club. With a new drummer and the addition of a bassist/keyboardist, it has opened up a plethora of new opportunities for The Grates. It is kind of ironic that the words in Change echo the sentiments of not wanting to change, but things can’t remain the same. Change isn’t a bad thing and, in this case, really has worked for the remaining founding members John Patterson and Patience Hodgson, moving from their original bubblegum pop rock to something a lot tougher and with teeth.

The recording process left Hodgson and Patterson to work their sound and arrangement to create a really tight production. There are plenty of cracking tracks - none more so than aforementioned Turn Me On and the very familiar sounding Like You Could Have It All. In contrast there are some softer tracks by way of Sweet Dreams and Crying All Night, which may surprise a few people. Party anthem The Night Won’t Start Without Us is a beauty and Borrowed Skin covers new ground.

I rapt with this new Grates sound. Hearing the new tracks live at Adelaide Uni Bar a few weeks ago, there’s no doubt they’re back on the right path, earning the mantle of everyone’s new favourite band.

Rob Lyon

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