Kitty Finger (Remastered)

Album review

Whilst the rest of the world was debating the origins of the punk movement… London, New York, no London, no New York… Australia was doing what they do best and just getting on with it. To the surprise of the rest of the world, this relatively isolated island nation produced some great punk rock bands like The Saints, The Birthday Party and Matrimony.

Although only together for one brief album, looking back through this album you can see the impact Matrimony had on the Aussie music scene, from the Riot Grrrl movement and beyond. With an almost all-female band, Matrimony, unfortunately, slipped under the radar in the 80s, but thanks to Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and the Kill Rockstars label, everyone can now rediscover this essential disc in Hi-Resolution.

The 15 tracks on Kitty Finger have an air of humorous confrontation about them, which seems pretty on-brand for a bunch of Aussies. From the contagiously quirky Motorbiker and Mister Popstar, to the minimal punk of Come Back Baby and Fish and Chip Sweetheart, the influence of Matrimony on the Australian music scene becomes evident. The fuzz guitars present throughout the album (Bleached) predict the nature of Australia's thriving garage rock scene today, as well as their catchy distorted basslines (Two Storey Man) alluding to the psych-rock movement that is still sweeping the nation.

Despite a short-lived career, with only one album to show, Matrimony are well worth discovering. Their sound is unique… Just a bunch of mates playing together for the hell of it, who happened to be an inspiration in Aussie punk rock for decades to come. © Jessica Porter-Langson / Qobuz