Sydney punk veterans the Hard-Ons have shared a ripping new single titled ‘Lite As A Feather’, marking their second track to feature Tim Rogers (best known as the frontman of alt-rock staples You Am I) on lead vocals.
The new track follows in the footsteps of last month’s ‘Hold Tight’, with belting riffs lacquered in distortion, rumbling bass and thrashy, cymbal-heavy drumming. Rogers’ vocal also slots nicely into the fold, with his cleaner tone offering a solid contrast to the gritty instrumental.
‘Lite As A Feather’ arrives alongside a film clip directed by Jonathan Sequeira, packed with shots of each individual Hard-On jamming out in isolation. The band have swapped around their roles, however, with Rogers’ vocal mimed by guitarist Peter Black, Black’s riffs by drummer Murray Ruse, Ruse’s drumming by bassist Ray Ahn, and Ahn’s fretwork by Rogers.
Take a look at the video below:
‘Lite As A Feather’ will appear on the Hard-Ons’ forthcoming new album, ‘I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken’, which is due for release on October 8 via Cheersquad Records. Their 13th in total, the new album marks Rogers’ debut with the band.
News that Rogers had joined the fold came on August 3, following the removal of founding member Keish de Silva back in March, after de Silva was accused of sexual misconduct. A proposed documentary about the band was cancelled in the wake of the allegations.
In a new interview with BLUNT, Rogers enthused that he joined the Hard-Ons as “a fan first and foremost”, noting that they were “the first band I loved that I could see, the first band I got my nose broken to, [and the first band] I lost my hearing to.
“There are so many firsts. And then to be in the rehearsal room… I looked over at Blackie’s amp and went, ‘Oh, that’s the amp.’ And I saw the SG, and I was like, ‘That’s the SG.’ I’ve been watching him play with those since 1986.”