CIVIC
From the consistently thriving punk scene of Melbourne came Civic, a snarling five-piece in the tradition of the Saints and Radio Birdman with heaps of energy and an unfussy pub rock backbone. With plenty of downstroked guitar, big-attitude vocals, no-frills melodies, and a hard-charging rhythm section, Civic deliver primal rock & roll in classic style, and they quickly gained an international following for their supercharged action. The group built their name on a well-received trio of EPs in the late 2010s before delivering Future Forecast, their full-length debut, in 2021. For their second LP, 2023's Taken by Force, they recruited a key inspiration and kindred spirit to produce, Radio Birdman vocalist Rob Younger.
Civic was formed in 2017 by lead singer Jim McCullough and guitarist Darcy Grigg when McCullough was vacationing in Japan and he bumped into Grigg, a fellow veteran of the Melbourne punk scene, at a bowling alley. They agreed that the Australian scene needed more rock & roll bands in the tradition of Radio Birdman, the Saints, and the Celibate Rifles. After returning home to Melbourne, they recruited guitarist Lewis Hodgson, bassist Roland Hlavka, and drummer David Forcier, and set up at McCullough's practice space, located in a warehouse-turned-arts center. They quickly put together a few songs and played their first show as Diamond Dust before Hodgson came up with the name Civic. Bashing together '70s punk, pub rock, and power pop, the band soon had enough originals to cut an EP. Recorded and released by Billy Gardener on his Anti-Fade label, 2018's seven-song New Vietnam EP earned Civic plenty of early praise, and they followed it up later that year with another EP, the four-track Those Who No.
The 2020 single "Radiant Eye" b/w "Making Time" was Civic's first release for the Flightless label, founded by Eric Moore of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Flightless put out their first full-length effort, Future Forecast, in March 2021, and it was picked up for release in North America and the U.K. by ATO Records. After its release, Darcy Grigg dropped out of Civic, and Jackson Harry (who had played on the Future Forecast sessions) came on board as guitarist. The band also had problems with drummer David Forcier, who was living in Canada and stranded at home when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a variety of travel bans, and Matt Blach took his place for live work. Blach also appeared on the sessions for their second LP, 2023's Taken by Force; Rob Younger of Radio Birdman produced the album, and engineer Mikey Young, who'd previously worked with Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Sonny & the Sunsets, mixed and mastered.
© Timothy Monger & Mark Deming /TiVo
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Future Forecast
Rock - Released by Flightless Records on Mar. 26, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chase The Dragon
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cooking Vinyl Australia on May 17, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Those Who No
Alternative & Indie - Released by Famous Class on Nov. 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
WaitingxPeace
Punk / New Wave - Released by CIVIC Electronic Music Factory on Feb. 24, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
New Vietnam & Singles
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on Apr. 6, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Selling Sucking Blackmail Bribes
Punk / New Wave - Released by Total Punk on Oct. 8, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Taken By Force
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on Feb. 10, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hourglass
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on Sep. 6, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Radiant Eye
Rock - Released by Flightless Records on Nov. 6, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tell The Papers
Rock - Released by Flightless Records on Mar. 10, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Gosts And Shadows
Pop - Released by Som Livre, Som e Imagens Lda on Feb. 9, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Chase The Dragon
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on May 17, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Born In The Heat
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on Dec. 7, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
End of The Line
Alternative & Indie - Released by ATO Records - Fontana North on Nov. 2, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo