Bench Press are releasing their first album in five years this month, and its third single should be enough to get you ready for the full thing.
Titled Personal Best, the garage-punk band’s first album in half a decade is Bench Press 2.0, the endgame of a fallow period that saw them work through the pandemic, an international exchange, and a regrouping that welcomed two new members, Anna Lienhop and Paolo Junior.
The result is, according to a press release, a sonic refinement, their traditional garage and punk cuts enhanced with a catchier and more rhythmic sound.
New single “Computer Hands” is an excellent example of this. The track is jumpy and jittery, packed with off-kilter grooves, and it’s deceptively buoyant with an underlying message.
As the band’s songwriter Jack Stavrakis explains, “Computer Hands” is about someone who has spent their life consumed by video games, bending their body into uncomfortable positions.
“The song’s refrain, “work, work, something need doing,” is not just a line from an iconic game, but a reminder that reclaiming and rebuilding your body takes time, effort and kindness,” he says.
“Retreating into video games can start when young as a way to stop embarrassing yourself physically and ends up as a barrier to physical activity as you get older. Ultimately, ‘Computer Hands’ could either be a love song to Warcraft 3 or a reminder to take care of your body when young. You decide.”
Melbourne produces more great new-wave-meets-punk bands than any other global city (probably), and Bench Press are one of the best purveyors of the enjoyably oddball style and sound.
While they haven’t been totally out of the picture since their last album, Not the Past, Can’t Be the Future, dropped in 2019 – they collaborated with Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice on an exhilarating 7″ in 2022 – their return to full-length form is welcome.
Personal Best is set to “meditate on themes of self and mental health but through a new lens,” namely Stavrakis’ notable career change into mental health social work.
Following the release of Personal Best, Bench Press will celebrate their comeback album on the road, with shows confirmed in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne (see full details below).
Bench Press’ “Computer Hands” is out now. Personal Best is out Friday, August 30th via Poison City Records (pre-order here).
Bench Press Album Launch Tour
Saturday, September 14th
Trocadero Room, Sydney, NSW
Tickets
Friday, September 20th
The Hotel Metro, Adelaide, SA
Tickets
Saturday, September 21st
The Bearded Lady, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets
Thursday, September 26th
The Tote, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets
