‘Managing’ is the latest well-formed excretion from an ever-obtuse Australian trio. Despite being spread out between states for much of their existence (nine years and counting) Red Red Krovvy speak their own idiot language with absolute fluency. ‘Managing’ manages to destroy every specious straight world “success” indicator (Company Job, Real Estate) replacing them with perfectly fucked haikus about simpler realities: dogs shitting in the wrong places, backyard bird burials, vengeance. Sonically their lineage within all the most acerbic Aussie murder punk is summed up with the line “Poetry’s indulgent shit / superior complex wit,” but this is anything but retro. RRK transcend niceties like bass guitar but their sound is buzzy and bombastic, stomping but not theatrical, a perfect vehicle for singer Ash’s haranguing of bastards in power with her devastating simplicity. This is Mean Music for a Mean World, ten perfectly nasty little songs for when you’ve ground your teeth down til there’s only one pure conviction left: The Rich Must Pay. (Bryony Beynon)


Our take: Managing is the second full-length from this Australian band that has been kicking around for well over a decade now. They’ve obviously honed their craft because Managing is a striking record. One thing that interests me about Red Red Krovvy’s sound on this record is that, while they play in this Eddy Current Suppression Ring kind of way where the sound seems wide-open and full of space, when you listen to the actual riffs and songwriting, you realize Red Red Krovvy is basically a hardcore band. It’s easy to imagine any of these songs with double-time drums and double-tracked, distorted guitars. They’d be just as good, but I’m loving the unique vibe they capture on Managing. If you’re looking for a place to start, “Despise the Rich” is a track where everything seems to come together. It starts with a huge riff I could picture Warthog using to clear a dance floor, then the chorus hits and the lyric, “this is why I despise the rich!” gets belted out with all the venom you want from punk. And if that wasn’t enough, a saxophone slides into the mix with a dissonant harmony that gives the song a sense of contrast that I can only describe by making a chef’s kiss gesture. Another favorite is “I Just Got a Dog,” a faster track with lyrics like “he shits in my room” and the brilliantly dumb chorus, “he goes woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof.” Highly recommended for fans of Cold Meat, Sniffany & the Nits, and CB Radio Gorgeous, but I think fans of fast and irreverent punk of all eras would love this. Brilliant record.