With a name like The Blackwater Fever, they sound exactly the way that you hope they will sound: The 70s explosion of fuzz and the bluesy vocals that have been updated by artists like Dan Auerbach and his success with the Black Keys. The Blackwater Fever’s newest single, “The Hurt”, is not only appropriately named, but also capable of drawing you in and making you hang on every word that travels to your eardrums through the beautifully haunting voice of Shane Hicks.
“Hurt” is not a song one could listen to and get their face melted, nor is it a song that one could listen to at 150 bpm driving a car on the highway. In reality, this track is a bluesy, raw ballad, but it is also a demonstration that with just three or four chords you may write something that sounds like precious metal. As long as the rhythm section has their chops in order (spoilers: (Whether or not the song is well-written, and the singer is passionate and has a charismatic voice, you can churn out a good song that will be at par with the Top 10 songs currently on the list).
Side note: these guys don’t send in their music the way normal indie artists do, for the purpose of review. And, honestly, I’m not even sure how they found us and how they thought we could help them, but their track record includes having their music featured on Showtime’s Shameless and touring with Tame Impala and the just-mentioned Black Keys. On the contrary, we are yearning to know more from these Brisbane rockers, but only if they don’t make it too big that they will forget about us.