School Damage’s Shambolic Pop Will Save You From the Bus

Listening to School Damage's latest track I'm reminded of the brilliant 1994 thriller Speed and not because both are about a bus that can't slow down. The Melbourne pop act's "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down", is the simple kind of song that I imagine would run through the simple kind of mind of Keanu Reeve's character Jack Traven as the LAPD cop attempts to rescue civilians from a bus rigged with explosives.

Taken from the foursome's self-titled debut album, available June 2 on Chapter Music, the wobbly keyboards and vocals of Jake Robertson (Ausmuteants, Drug Sweat, Leather Towel) make for a charming piece of off-kilter pop.

School Damage originally formed as bedroom pop project between Robertson and Carolyn Hawkins (Chook Race, Parsnip) and with the addition of drummer Jeff Raty and bassist Dani Damage they released tapes and 7"s on Moontown and Detonic Records.

Though they reference and take cues from 80s DIY pop acts such as Young Marble Giants and The Vaselines, the band are very much Melbourne 2017 and write about such modern situations as browsing ASOS.

'School Damage' is available June 2 through Chapter Music.