Album Review: Ball Park Music - Puddinghead

It's been a quick rise for Brisbane's energetic five-piece Ball Park Music. In 2011 they released their popular debut album Happiness And Surrounding Suburbs, closely followed by their second, Museum, just over a year later, while touring intermittently. At long last – well, just under two years – Ball Park drop LP number three Puddinghead, and for what seems like the first time in their career, they have time to relax and refine.

Distancing themselves even further from jovial larrikinisms, Puddinghead's 11 tracks gently nudge the breaks, combining the sonic capabilities of Museum with the storytelling clarity of their debut. The band have experimented with interesting genre-shifts, A Good Life Is The Best Revenge sporting funk guitar and a rolling chorus, while Cocaine Lion could best be described as a throwback to '90s indie rock. The solid through-line, however, is the ease of Sam Cromack's voice. Without really belting at all, the frontman tells 11 stories, all unique in form but linked through a mature sense of clarity.

Not to be misunderstood, there are still much-loved spurts of liveliness, She Only Loves Me When I'm There perhaps the closest resemblance to BPM circa-2008, and Trippin' The Light Fantastic gets the toes tapping. However, both still possess a genuine honesty that could have only really come with that little bit of extra time in the studio.

According to the Bard, a 'puddinghead' may be one who fumbles the most basic tasks, but Ball Park prove a balanced and centred approach suits them just fine.