Uncanny purveyors of garage-blues thrills with a sideline in resonant songcraft, The Murlocs have been making music together since the end of their high school years, though their connection goes back even further than that. Leader of the gang for 13 years and counting, Ambrose Kenny-Smith has known drummer Matt Blach since primary school, though they hadn’t playing music together much until Ambrose connected with guitarist Cal Shortal at a house party. The trio would jam in the basement bar of Blach’s parents’ home – “Manny’s Bar” it was called, inspiring a song off the Murlocs’ second EP, Tee Pee.
Their hometown of Geelong hosted a thriving garage-rock community, all worshiping the Nuggets compilations like their Bible. The Murlocs began their career with a pair of rough-edged EPs in 2012, their self-titled debut and Tee Pee, “recorded at a family friend’s studio as a favour”. They added Cook Craig on bass and knuckled down a little more for their debut full-length, 2014’s Loopholes.
Their line-up augmented by guitarist/singer Mladen Milinkovic, 2016’s Young Blindness drew The Murlocs’ mysterious garage-blues hybrid into tighter focus, bringing new darkness and depth to lairy anthems like ‘Reassurance’ and the stinging, unforgettable ‘Wolf Creep’. “Mladen was a great stage presence, a fresh element,” Kenny-Smith says. Milinkovic exited the group soon after, however, and they began work on follow-up Old Locomotive as a four-piece. Before they were done, the final crucial piece of the Murlocs puzzle fell into place: keyboardist Tim Karmouche.
Indeed, The Murlocs’ golden age was about to begin, as this ramshackle quintet located their ambition and unleashed their potential. 2019’s Manic Candid Episode rang the changes, relocating them from bedrooms and garages to a proper studio with decent gear. The earlier lo-fi vibe had suited the crazed likes of ‘Shit Storm’, where the chaos was the point. But as the group’s songwriting chops evolved, clarity was what was called for, these ragged rockers finessed by hollered harmonies, knife-edged riffs, and a weightiness that drove their message home.
Kenny-Smith planned “a heavy record” for their next LP, but pulled a 180 before work began. “I was listening to a lot of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, early Elton John, Nilsson’s Pussy Cats,” he remembers. “I wanted something more ‘classic rock’, more ballad-y. I’d listen to Lennon’s ‘Mother’ over and over, thinking about how personal it was, how from the heart. I thought, ‘I’ve written about my anxieties for so long, I might as well take it as deep as I can.’” The resulting Bittersweet Demons would be Kenny-Smith’s most confessional album yet, a series of portraits of those close to him and those he’d lost.
“Putting these people in my songs, I felt a bit naked and vulnerable,” he continues. But the album taught him it’s worth taking such creative risks.
The Murlocs’ next album told the story of someone he knew very well: Ambrose Kenny-Smith, or a fantasized version of him, anyway. The album also offered the singer/songwriter a little escapism at the very moment he needed it most. Like everyone else, Kenny-Smith found 2020 a miserable drag; he’d spent the preceding decade wandering the planet and playing music. Now, he was locked down at home.
“We all started working on new material alone, and Cal was on a winning streak, cutting demos at home and sending me new tracks daily,” he remembers. With a stack of new Shortal jams at his disposal, Kenny-Smith focused on a lyrical concept for the new record, a romanticized vision of his wildling youth. Indeed, 2021’s Rapscallion chronicles the story of a wastrel cutting loose the bonds of the small town he grew up in, hitching to the big city to find adventure and love. Instead, he finds bad drugs and worse violence. Allied to Shortal’s meat-cleaver riffs and the band’s garage-y malevolence, it’s a widescreen adventure for the mind.
“I get more excited with each album we make,” Kenny-Smith continues. “As we progress, we get better.” And so to the latest album in the Murlocs saga, 2023’s Calm Ya Farm. “We decided to go ‘country’, I guess,” he grins, though those who fear the twang should rest assured that the seventh Murlocs epic channels the down-home funk and homespun vibes of The Band’s first two albums more than any rhinestone cowboy theatrics. It’s a full band collaboration, with songs penned by all members, and a little extra polish applied this time around. The family vibe of the album suits a group where the connections run deep, where the indelible identities of the individual musicians within it define the character of the band itself.
News
Album of the Day: The Murlocs, “Calm Ya Farm”
Bandcamp
“From start to finish, the band’s collective fluency with soul music truly shines”
On ‘Calm Ya Farm,’ The Murlcocs Reign Supreme On Rockin’ Soulful Sound Collage (ALBUM REVIEW)
Glide Magazine
Cleaner and lighter than past efforts, The Murlocs Calm Ya Farm is their best full album yet as the good time sounds flow like free wine at a late-night afterparty.
The Murlocs Kick Up Dust on the Fantastic ‘Calm Ya Farm’
Exclaim!
“Instead of trying to fit within genre conventions, the Murlocs piece together what they’ve explored in the past and let their country undertones rise through the cracks on Calm Ya Farm. At their most collaborative, they’ve created their most cohesive yet multi-faceted album to date. Surprisingly upbeat closer “Aletophyte” ends it all on the question of how to move forward when life leaves us feeling like sun-bleached shrubs between cracks of concrete. If we all fall off the edges of our minds in some way or another, maybe it’s best not to worry too much — just keep trying, because we’re all doing the best we can. This may be their first rodeo, but the Murlocs know damn well what they’re doing”
The Murlocs Hail “Queen Pinky” On Swanky New Single [Watch]
Live for Live Music
The Murlocs offered the final preview of their coming album Calm Ya Farm with the swirling psychedelic single, “Queen Pinky”. The new album from the King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard offshoot led by multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith is out on Friday via ATO Records.
The Murlocs Find Love, With A Twist, In ‘Queen Pinky’ Video
SPIN
An empty cabaret in the wee hours of the night is the setting for a surprising twist on the good, old-fashioned love song in the Murlocs‘ “Queen Pinky” video, directed by Hayden Somerville. The track can be found on the Australian band’s new album, Calm Ya Farm, which is out on Friday (May 19).
The Murlocs Turn Reality Upside Down In ‘Undone And Unashamed’ Video
SPIN
The Murlocs turn reality upside down in the video for “Undone and Unashamed,” the second single from their upcoming album Calm Ya Farm. In the Jack Rule-directed clip, group member Ambrose Kenny-Smith does his best to snap an unidentified couch potato out of his bathrobe-wearing, beer-drinking, canned foot-eating malaise, while also offering up a nifty saxophone solo in the process.
The Murlocs Dabble in Country Rock on Calm Ya Farm
SPIN
“Working quickly on the heels of their 2022 garage rock concept album Rapscallion, Australian rock outfit the Murlocs will return with another new project, Calm Ya Farm, on May 19 via ATO Records. Rarely content to work in one genre, the group dabbles here in the country rock stylings of the Byrds in tandem with tinges of ’70s British pub rockers such as Nick Lowe.”
The Murlocs Keep Glam-Psych Sounds Rolling On For Sold-out Crowd in Portland, OR (SHOW REVIEW)
Glide Magazine
“Opening with the punk-blues intensity of “Living Under a Rock,” the band put forth an immediate wave of energy that set the tone for everything that would follow. As one might expect, much of the set focused on Rapscallion. “Virgin Criminal” and “The Royal Vagabond” each tapped into the band’s droning jangle pop with the latter seeing Ambrose Kenny-Smith bust out his harmonica for a solo finale”
The Murlocs Unleash Electrifying “Living Under a Rock” (Live at the Forum
Vents Magazine
Melbourne’s 60’s tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs brought their outrageous live show to euphoric crowds at LEVITATION festival last weekend and will perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre tomorrow alongside King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard with whom they share several band members. In celebration of their national headlining fall tour kicking off a week from today, the band has unleashed the “Living Under a Rock” (Live at the Forum) video. The electrifying video gives fans and critics an early taste of their explosive live performance.
Watch The Murlocs Perform “Living Under A Rock” Live At The Forum
Wildfire Music + News
“Melbourne’s 60’s tinged Psych-Rock outfit The Murlocs recently played at Levitation and will perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre today alongside King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard with whom they share several band members. In celebration of their national headlining Fall tour kicking off soon, the band has unleashed the “Living Under a Rock” (Live at the Forum) video”
The Murlocs’ Ambrose Kenny-Smith Talks Red Rocks, ‘Rapscallion,’ & New Directions
The Aquarian
“Australian-psych rockers The Murlocs have steadily accrued a dedicated following over the past decade and have largely stepped out of obscurity and into the indie spotlight. With six studio albums and a rigorous touring schedule – including tours with fellow Melburnians King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Uncle Murl are about to embark on a headlining U.S. tour. They glimmer on stage and riff around gloriously. We chatted with the Murlocs’ lead vocalist, harmonica player, percussionist, keyboardist, guitarist, and all around mastermind, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, before they hit the road”
“Living Under A Rock” By The Murlocs
Northern Transmissions
“Australian psych-rock band, The Murlocs will perform at Red Rocks Amphitheatre tomorrow alongside King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard with whom they share several band members. In celebration of their national headlining fall tour kicking off a week from today, the band has unleashed the “Living Under a Rock” (Live at the Forum) video. Frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith shares, “Some people live a sheltered life by choice and some people are born into it. ‘Rapscallion’ has had enough of living under a rock. It’s time for a fresh start.”
The Murlocs release live video, announce Reddit AMA
Full Time Aesthetic
“Fresh off of performaning at LEVITATION in Austin and with a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (with whom they share several members) tonight, 60s psych twinged punk band, The Murlocs, are kicking off their headlining North American tour with a bang and bringing their energetic and outrageous live show on the road, heading to Philadelphia on 11/7 and criss crossing the continent over the next three weeks”
The Murlocs’ Tour Bus Playlist Featuring The Modern Lovers, Randy Newman, and Willie Nelson
Bandsintown
“The Melbourne-based band has put out five studio albums, but their latest is perhaps the most impressive both in music and creativity. Rapscallion, which was released on September 16th on ATO Records, is a 12-track coming-of-age novel in album form. It depicts a wildly squalid odyssey featuring various peculiar characters, partly inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s own adolescence as a nomadic skate kid. The band self-produced the album at their home studios during the pandemic which helped maintain their DIY approach while applying darker, more primitive themes to their music. Kenny-Smith said that he hopes “when people hear the album they really dig deep into the world of the story we’ve created, and it gives them that same sensation of traveling into the unknown.”
The Murlocs: Rapscallion [Album Review]
The Fire Note
“Rapscallion touches down in a wide spectrum of rock musical genres that nicely harnesses their energy. The tempos can be up or down, but The Murlocs completely control your experience here that will leave a lasting impression. At the end of the day, sometimes you just want a rollicking rock n’ roll record that is pick up and play. Rapscallion from The Murlocs is that album!”
The Murlocs: ‘Rapscallion’
Yuck Magazine
The Murlocs riff their way back into the spotlight with their sixth studio release ‘Rapscallion’, out now on ATO records.
New Music Reviews (09/19)
KEXP
This Australian band’s sixth album is a solid set of ‘60s-steeped garage-rock inflected with psych-rock, post-punk and other styles, combining fuzzy guitars, keyboards, energetic rhythms, occasional harmonica and catchy song hooks
PRESS PLAY: New Albums out September 16th!
wxpn
The Murlocs’ “Rapscallion” included in WXPN’s list of new albums!
Notable Releases of the Week (9/16)
Brooklyn Vegan
The Murlocs’ “Rapscallion” included!
On ‘Rapscallion, ‘The Murlocs Trip Out With ’60s Nugget Inspired Jams (ALBUM REVIEW)
Glide Magazine
Rapscallion, the sixth album from the Melbourne-based outfit The Murlocs, dabbles in strong doses of 60’s garage, psych, and prog rock throughout the twelve tripped-out tracks
New Music Friday – September 16th, 2022
Boolin Tunes
The Murlocs’ “Rapscallion” out now!
The Murlocs Share New Single and Video for “Bellarine Ballerina”
Under The Radar
Melbourne psych punk greats The Murlocs are back this week with a new record, Rapscallion, arriving September 16th via ATO Records. Recorded over the pandemic, the record sees the band diving into their stoner metal and hard-edged post punk influences, tracking misfit coming-of-age stories inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s youth as a skate kid.
Tuesday Mixtape | 128 Songs That Are So Good It’s Ridiculous (Side 1)
Tinnitist
The Murlocs’ “Bellarine Ballerina” included at #2!
The Murlocs Debut “Bellarine Ballerina” Video
Concert Addicts
This Friday, September 16, Melbourne’s 60’s tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs will release their brand new studio album Rapscallion via ATO Records. Strapped with fuzzy guitar licks, feverish bass and psychedelic brightness, it is a 12-track coming-of-age novel in an album form. Today, they share the final single from the collection, “Bellarine Ballerina,” alongside a music video created by Guy Tyzack
Marcus Mumford, Ringo Starr, Little Big Town, Blackpink lead this week’s new music releases
Cleveland.Com
The Murlocs’ “Rapscallion” out now!
tunesday – ambrose kenny-smith chats about the murlocs’ new album
Frankie
Meet ‘Rapscallion’ – a nameless youth who runs away to the city (craftily dodging ticket inspectors along the way) and joins a crew of misfits. During his travels, Rapscallion gets his first, heady taste of crime, drugs and brawls, and eventually, love and tragedy.
Next Week in Music | Sept. 12-18 • The Short List: 17 Titles You Want to Hear
Tinnit
“The sixth full-length from The Murlocs, Rapscallion is a coming-of-age novel in an album form, populated by an outrageous cast of misfit characters: Teenage vagabonds and small-time criminals, junkyard dwellers and truck-stop transients. Over the course of 12 hypnotic and volatile rock ’n’ roll songs, the Melbourne five-piece dream up a wildly squalid odyssey partly inspired by frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s own adolescence as a nomadic skate kid. The most magnificently heavy work yet from The Murlocs, the result is an endlessly enthralling album equally steeped in danger and delirium and the wide-eyed romanticism of youth.”
Love, Death And Trucker Speed: The Murlocs Get Adventurous On Rapscallion
Spin
When your primary band has released 20 studio albums in 12 years (with three more to come in the next six weeks), it seems a bit preposterous to also have a side project with five albums and two EPs of its own. Such is the state of affairs for ever-prolific King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard multi-instrumentalists Ambrose Kenny-Smith and Cook Craig, whose sixth album with the Murlocs, Rapscallion, arrives Sept. 16 on ATO Records.
Review: The Murlocs – Rapscallion
Nanobot Rock
If you haven’t started to pay attention to the Australian music scene this is your heads up. Whatever is going on within the confines of the country is shaping a musical landscape that cannot be ignored any longer.
THE MURLOCS’ AMBROSE KENNY-SMITH ON NEW ALBUM, RAPSCALLION: “I WAS HAVING A LOT OF FUN REMINISCING ABOUT GROWING UP SKATEBOARDING”
Gimmie Zine
The Murlocs’ upcoming new album Rapscallion sees them forging into new territory with a playful mix of drama and effervescence as they give us a loosely conceptual coming-of-age story of searching, love, loss, independence and belonging. There’s effortlessly catchy garage-rock groovers that we’ve come to love from The Murlocs, along with detours into chaotic heavy moments and unabashedly cool drifts into fruitful synth work that will pleasantly surprise listeners.
All The New Albums Coming Out In September 2022
Uproxx
Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in September. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Song of the Day: The Murlocs – Compos Mentis
The Current
Today’s Song of the Day is “Compos Mentis” from The Murlocs’ album, Rapscallion, out now.
BSE 157: Dream, Ivory, Spielbergs, Emily Elbert, Sammy Rae & The Friends, The Murlocs and Personal Trainer
Best Song Ever Podcast
THE MATINEE ’22 V. 106 – LIZZIE REID, MADELINE FINN, ALVVAYS, YEAH YEAH YEAHS, THE MURLOCS, GAWJUSS, ANNA MIEKE, SLANEY BAY, BELLS LARSEN
The Revue
Why We’re Digging It: Australia has no shortage of great bands with outstanding songwriters, which explains why The Murlocs have and currently are touring with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and have a solid following across the world. Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Cal Shortal, Cook Craig, Tim Karmouche, and Matt Blach are not the types to take shortcuts, choosing instead to use every second to entertain and provoke. With “Compos Mentis”, they deliver a slice of Americana, southern-rock made for road trips.
The Murlocs Shares Video For Latest Single ”Compos Mentis”
Ghettoblaster
Melbourne’s 60’s tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs showcase their softer side with new “Compos Mentis” single & video. Speaking with FLOOD which debuted the track, frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith explains: “After a long day of truck stop fights, hitchhiking and getting kicked off trains, our beloved rapscallion protagonist decides to spend the night in an abandoned junkyard. Finding peace within the garbage that surrounds him, he begins to question his purpose in life and whether or not he’s in control of his own mind.”
@skopemag news – thursday – august 11, 2022 @ 6 am est
Skope Mag
Today, Melbourne’s 60’s-tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs (including members of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) have shared “Compos Mentis,” the second single from their upcoming album Rapscallion, which is set to release on Sep 16 via ATO Records. The track, which was debuted by FLOOD Magazine this morning, shows the band’s softer side and plays into the introspective story-book feel of the record.
Midweek Mixtape | 120 Songs That Just Keep Getting Better (Side 1)
Tinnitist
Some days are better than others. Today is so great it’s almost ridiculous. In fact, if you don’t fall in love with at least 20 of these new singles, videos, cover tunes, remixes and unburied classics, I seriously think there might be something wrong with you. As always, there are dozens of gems here you can’t dig up anywhere else. Your Tinnitist-approved tracks are tagged with
NEW VIDEO: THE MURLOCS SHARE SLOW-BURNING AND PENSIVE “COMPOS MENTIS”
The Joy Of Violent Movement
The Murlocs’ sixth album Rapscallion is slated for a September 16, 2022 release through ATO Records. Self-produced by the band during the early stages of the pandemic, Rapscallion‘s 12 songs were recorded in the home studios of the band’s Kenny-Smith, Shortal, Blach, Cook Craig and Karmouche. Conceived and written as a coming-of-age novel in album form, the album’s material is partly inspired by Kenny-Smith’s adolescence as a nomadic skate kid.
33 New Songs Out Today
Brooklyn Vegan
“After a long day of truck stop fights, hitchhiking and getting kicked off trains, our beloved rapscallion protagonist decides to spend the night in an abandoned junkyard,” says Murlocs frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith.
VIDEO: The Murlocs Debut ‘Compos Mentis’ Video
Broadway World
Melbourne’s 60’s tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs showcase their softer side with new “Compos Mentis” single & video.
Speaking with FLOOD which debuted the track, frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith explains: “After a long day of truck stop fights, hitchhiking and getting kicked off trains, our beloved rapscallion protagonist decides to spend the night in an abandoned junkyard. Finding peace within the garbage that surrounds him, he begins to question his purpose in life and whether or not he’s in control of his own mind.”
The Murlocs Find Peace Within the Garbage in Video For New Single “Compos Mentis”
Flood
While Austin has long been keeping things weird with a healthy psych-rock scene, the Australian city of Melbourne has been creeping up as the psych capital of the world in recent years. Although The Murlocs came up at the same time as groups like The Black Angels and Night Beats, the band has consistently been winning over more listeners as they benefit from the wild success of groups like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, with whom they have overlapping members.
OUR TOP TEN TUNES OF THE WEEK – JULY 21ST
Something You Said
These are the songs that have been getting us going over the past seven days or so:
Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – July 19
Riff Magazine
The Murlocs, “Virgin Criminal” — The start of a life of crime is chronicled in The Murlocs’ ’60s-inspired psychedelic punk rock tune from their next album, Rapscallion, due Sept. 16. Frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith describes the song as being about the protagonist breaking his first crime and getting off on the thrill of being an outlaw.
The Murlocs Tell A Coming Of Age Story In Album Form Via ‘Rapscallion’
Wildfire Music + News
Melbourne-based 60s-influenced Punk band The Murlocs have announced new studio album, Rapscallion, due out September 16th on ATO Records.
The Murlocs share alluring single, ‘Virgin Criminal’ ahead of album launch
Happy Magazine
Melbourne-based garage-rock band, The Murlocs have just released a spellbinding new hit, Virgin Criminal, lifted from their forthcoming sixth album, Rapscallion, which is set to launch on September 16 via Virgin Australia.
The Murlocs announce new album ‘Rapscallion’, share ‘Virgin Criminal’
NME
‘Rapscallion’ was self-produced by The Murlocs themselves, and recorded in the band members’ own homes. According to Ambrose-Smith, the album is loosely conceptual. “I ended up coming with a story of a teenage boy who’s the black sheep of his family, and one day decides to leave home and travel to the city on his own,” he said.
The Murlocs Share New Single; Rapscallion LP Out September 16th Via ATO Records
Thoughts Words Action
Hailing from Melbourne, 60’s tinged psych-rock punks The Murlocs have announced their brand new studio album, Rapscallion, due out September 16 on ATO Records. Strapped with fuzzy guitar licks, feverish bass and psychedelic brightness, the 12-track collection is a coming-of-age novel in an album form.