Harpoon: The Whalers.

Harpoon launch their self titled debut at The Healer on Saturday.

Harpoon is always ready to aim their sound towards you! They are one of Australia’s latest tight-knit, four-piece outfits hitting the music scene with their self-titled recording debut.

The Brisband formation features vocalist/harpman Junior Hickey, guitarist Mat Stevenson, drummer Barry ‘Lil Goose’ Harvey and bass man Cameron Street.

The unit is less than a year old and Stevenson reveals how thrilling Harpoon’s development has been to-date: “These three guys that I am working with are just fantastic to work with,” says Mat. “I think with any art form trying to explore its self and find out who it is it’s not until its been done does it get labelled and I’m not prepared to put any labels on it, what we do is what we do. We’re evolving the band and it’s growing and there’s no such thing as growing and staying the same.”

“I met Cameron at a jam night at the Travelodge and we just clicked straight away. He uses loops and sets up rhythms with his bass and different sort of shakers over his pick ups, squeaky toys and gets this sorta atmospheric thing happening he actually adds to what we do, it’s nearly like having a keyboardist in there. Barry Harvey is a true musician and has to be one of the best drummers in Australia and Junior, he’s a natural, totally enthusiastic and open. Everything just worked and every time some one threw something new into the mixture the thing got bigger and better. There’s an energy that you just hook into like jumper leads you get connected to and it just happens it’s just been positive, positive, positive.”

The band sensed the chemistry in the midst of their first Album project at 7th Dimension studio explains Mat: “We recorded it all together in a single take. There is no overdubbing just live in a room together. We just wanted to get our natural sound and that’s where the magic is in the reactions when you’re playing together. It just felt right and everything just clicked and if you listen to the disc that’s us only three weeks old, I mean it’s a handful of rehearsals and we just went in there and did that and that’s our starting point.”

Harpoon hurls eight tracks at you via their first CD project. It features three Buddy Guy covers: Slippin in, Five Long Years, Every Girl I see. Muddy Waters, Hendrix, T Bone Walker and Roy Buchanan material is well represented on the album too: Sugar Sweet, Driving South, Hustle is On and I’m A Ram.