I first discovered Chris Burrows in the summer of 2009, along with the Plan-It-X Records band roster and Andrew Jackson Jihad. Chris lives in Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania and writes and plays incredible acoustic punk. His first band was Asking For It and featured Chris on acoustic guitar, Josh on drums, Thom on trumpet and melodica, Hannah on violin and Nick on tambourine. Asking For It’s debut release, in November 2006, was Learn The Rules and is a good solid folk punk record, although the releases of the following year, Live and Let D.I.Y. and Live at Irish Murphy’s, really capture the emergence of the band’s own “unique sound”. Such a phrase is clichéd and overused, receiving just under six million hits on Google (yes, that’s with quotes), and so I do not use it lightly. Chris’s strangulated crack rock steady vocals mingle harmoniously with melodies played on melodica, trumpet and violin, while his guitar provides incessant rhythm over which catchy beach campfire gang vocals are sung. This sound is reinforced wholeheartedly by Asking For It’s final release, Happy Birthday Hitler, in 2008; and while the quality is more kitchen than studio, their DIY ethic, energy and raw passion add more to the record than any fancy post-production ever could. The songs themselves are largely rebellious affairs, not just against the police, but also drugs, lost loves and the bleak hopelessness of youth proclaiming “this will never save the world”. It’s angry, uplifting, miserable and inspiring; what true punk should be.
I am frequently cursed with discovering excellent new music, only after the band has parted ways. Luckily, although Asking For It had recently disbanded, Chris’s latest project, The Anorexic Olsen Twin, was just beginning. Their Self Titled EP, released early in 2009, is a positively captivating 3 song collection. In it Chris reveals himself to be an exceptionally gifted pianist and plays alongside a host of strings, including violins, a cello and a double bass. All work together to produce a disturbingly dark take on anarchic cabaret, rawer and more personal than any World Inferno Friendship Society or Dresden Dolls. The pace is a little slower too, though lends itself perfectly to the emotional exploration of nihilism Chris engages in throughout. Later that year The Anorexic Olsen Twin sprung their debut full length, also Self Titled, which continues seamlessly from where their EP left off. “I Guess That’s What Brains Look Like” is quite possibly the most poignant zombie apocalypse love song that will ever be written.
The Anorexic Olsen Twin marks an exciting new chapter in Chris’s musical career to date and I have no doubt he will continue to make hauntingly thought provoking and original punk for years to come.
All of the releases by Asking For It and The Anorexic Olsen Twin are available to buy, or download for free, from their respective websites. But if you do decide to pinch with permission, why not write to Chris and say thanks.
Chris runs a distro called All We Need Is Hugs which reveals his many influences and idols, including Endless Mike and the Beagle Club, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Mischief Brew, Defiance Ohio and Ghost Mice. It also demonstrates his commitment to the local DIY scene, providing a means for young, up and coming songwriters to circulate their material.
“Methlabs and Bookstores” has been covered by Ohio Ska Punk Band Atomic Potato and is currently on their Myspace.
