In this new Rolling Stone AU/NZ series, we get to know the music tastes of artists through their favourite records. Next up, Melbourne’s energetic garage-punk band Delivery.
Here’s a helpful tip for any band just starting out: in a music landscape increasingly dominated by posturing wannabes and viral one-hit wonders, be like Delivery. Always be like Delivery.
As a press release put it a little tritely, Delivery are “a true band’s band.” That’s because the Melbourne five-piece of Rebecca Allan (bass), James Lynch (guitar), Liam Kenny (drums), Scarlett Maloney (guitar), and Jordan Oakley (guitar) are all music fans first, musicians second.
Entrenched in Melbourne’s tight-knit independent music community for several years, all five have been in and out of various bands, including visceral post-punks Pinch Points, femme four-piece Gutter Girls, and wonky-art pop band Kosmetika. Whether one of these bands ‘made it’ was immaterial, really: what mattered was making music with musicians you admired, and people who shared a similar DIY ethos.
Even when they weren’t making music, Delivery’s members were doing what they could to promote and discuss the music they cared about. Oakley hosts Underground Love on PBS FM, “putting an ear to the vast amount of underground music from various pockets of the world”; Lynch ran the excellent Melbourne-focused music publication Trouble Juice, which lauded Gut Health, RVG, Floodlights, and so many more of Australian rock and indie music’s now-leading lights way before they got their breakthrough.
All of this is a protracted way of saying that the members of Delivery really, really like music.
So, when Rolling Stone AU/NZ asked them to feature in our On the Record series, in which an artist takes us through some of their favourite records, they took to it with relish.
Allan and Lynch headed down to Poison City, one of Melbourne’s best record labels and stores, to pick out five records. Unsurprisingly for a pair whose band merrily moves between garage, punk, and rock in their songs, guitar music dominated their picks, from a garage-rock icon to one of Australia’s most impressive contemporary post-punk bands.
Credit: Lizzie Wilkie
Check out Delivery’s favourite records below and in the video above.
Delivery released their second studio album, Force Majeure, last month, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2022’s Forever Giving Handshakes. (Their debut album deservedly earned a place in our list of the Best Australian Albums of 2022.)
Described in a press release as a “vital and concise record which thrills with its direct simplicity and excitement,” Force Majeure is Delivery’s first album following their recent signing to Heavenly Recordings, which has been a positive home for other developing Australian bands in the past, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Confidence Man.
Now, boosted by strong critical reviews for Force Majeure (“the edgy off-kilter energy is reminiscent of Parquet Courts,” wrote Clash; high praise), Delivery have a run of big tour dates ahead of them, including a trip to Austin for SXSW 2025.
They’ll then return home in April for shows in at Brisbane’s Brightside on Saturday, April 12th (tickets here), Sydney’s Bootleggers on Thursday, April 24th (tickets here), The Tote in Melbourne on Thursday, April 17th (tickets here), followed by an appearance at The Gumball Festival in Hunter Valley on Friday, April 25th (tickets here).
Delivery’s Force Majeure is out January 17th via Heavenly Recordings / PIAS (pre-save/pre-order here).
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Bec: My favourite childhood band, when I listened to them for the first time and it was just like, “Bang!” But I think everybody knows that – riffs are massive, vibe is massive, it’s just classic rock ‘n’ roll really. This album is one of the best ones, probably second to High Voltage for me though… I guess 1976 was a good year and Bon Scott did it best. RIP.
Body Type – Expired Candy
Bec: More rock ‘n’ roll, what can I say… Body Type just keep on writing good albums plus having a full female lineup is everything really. Everyone in this band is a legend and knows how to write a hit song – catchy lyrics and melodies but rock ‘n’ roll energy and they back it up with a killer live show too.
Credit: Lizzie Wilkie
Ty Segall – Twins
Bec: I feel like I’m still scratching the surface on Ty’s full catalog but everything is good so far. James recommended this album to me and I really got into it. I feel like it’s one of those albums where once I’d heard it, it went straight on repeat for ages – lots of walks gone on while writing Force Majeure listening to this, just getting those garage vibes running through my brain.
James: I’ve been a big Ty Segall head for most of my life I guess, and I’ve undoubtedly suggested Bec listen to a heap of his different records at this point. I don’t actually remember showing her this one though, but I definitely gave Twins a good rinsing in my early 20s. Funny to think Bec was taking direct inspiration from this album while we were making Force Majeure, whereas Ty’s influence is probably working on a deeper subconscious level at this point for me… got this stuff in my DNA!
Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted
James: One of the best bands to take inspiration from because no matter what you do, you can’t really ever sound quite like them. Every Pavement album rules for different reasons, but Slanted and Enchanted might be the most applicable to Delivery, capturing the band at their most unhinged and noisy but still loaded with charm and song-smarts. Nothing better than hearing [Stephen] Malkmus clearly not give a fuck, but at the same time you can also tell that he really does care – the perfect combo.
Credit: Lizzie Wilkie
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
James: Every rock ‘n’ roll band really just wants to be in The Velvet Underground. I have the tendency of putting heaps of chords and change-ups in our music in hope of it sounding cool, but this album is a nice reminder that it’s just as badass (if not more so) to do it with just one chord (played for 17 minutes).
