Amyl and the Sniffers are back with a bang.
Melbourne’s acclaimed punk rockers have released new single “U Should Not Be Doing That and its B-side “Facts”, their first new music in over three years. The single, which was named Hottest Record in the World by BBC Radio 1, will be released on limited edition 7″.
Recorded with Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), it’s the first new music we’ve heard from Amyl and the Sniffers since their second album, Comfort to Me, was positively received in 2021.
Of the new single, the band’s frontwoman Amy Taylor shares: “Lyrically they’re both pretty self-explanatory. ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ makes me laugh, but it’s also in a way poking fun at the shock that people still feel at a little bit of skimpy clothing, and the bitchy high school way that the music community still is (yes, I’m talking to you random 40 year old metalheads sitting around a table doing lines and bitching about a 28 year old chick in a band for wearing shorts and “selling out”), but it mainly makes me laugh.
“It’s unconscious and meant nothing at the time of writing it but now I think it’s a comedic way of rubbing the dog’s nose in its own dog piss after it wee’d on your favourite rug or something.”
Accompanying the single is a music video for “U Should Not Be Doing That”, shot by Amyl’s long-time collaborator PHC Films. The clip, which you can watch below, was filmed in Los Angeles and features actor Steven Ogg (Better Call Saul).
In other big band news, Taylor was recently announced as keynote speaker at this year’s BIGSOUND conference in Brisbane, which will take place in September.
It’s currently unclear if Amyl’s new single is the precursor to a new full-length album, but their third album, when it finally comes, is highly anticipated.
Comfort to Me became their most successful album to date in 2021, impressively reaching #2 on the ARIA Albums Chart as well as #21 on the UK Albums Chart. Their second album was also earned three nominations – Album of the Year, Best Group, and Best Rock Album – at the 2022 ARIA Awards.
Amyl and the Sniffers’ “U Should Not Be Doing That” and “Facts” is out now via B2B Records / Virgin Music Group.
