Tasmania’s power-trio Verticoli aren’t only back; they’ve returned with their new album, “Silverlinings”, a twelve-track, 43-minute beauty. This is authentic rock music with both brains and brawn, recorded at the legendary Sing Sing Studios with producer Luke Cincotta (the guy behind the boards for Airbourne and Jet, so you know it sounds massive).
A three-piece lives or dies by its chemistry, and Verticoli have it in spades. You’ve got them pulling out riffs they wrote years ago for “Birds of Prey” and making solos that are “rancid and dank.” The rhythm section is an absolute force—the bassist (Jez, aka Jeremy Hughes) lays down driving, melodic lines that anchor the chaos, and the drummer, Will, is a goddamn pro, with the a killer bridge breakdown on “Trash King” that he cooked up with producer Cincotta. This is a band that sounds like a single, roaring engine.
The album kicks off with “A Kick in the Teeth,” a three-chord blast about the brutal reality of the rock ‘n’ roll grind—the ecstatic highs and the soul-crushing lows of touring. The gang vocals at the end? You just know that’s a live-show singalong in the making. They immediately follow it with “Milk & Honey,” a seething, pissed-off anthem against “hyper-capitalist pigs.” This is where their self-dubbed ‘Grunk’ sound—a glorious mix of grunge and punk—comes to life, all fuzz and fury.
Tracks like “Trash King” and “See You Around” are love letters to the now-defunct Marion Bay Falls Festival, releasing that golden-hour, festival-air vibe. “Trash King” is a straight-up ode to Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy era, a gritty, percussive beast, while “See You Around” has that Tom Petty-esque, heartland-rock swing, built on a foundation of wistful optimism. It’s clean, expansive, and boasts a guitar solo that’s sharp enough to cut through any bullshit.
Then they pivot. “Be Three” is a math-rocky number about pushing your limits, featuring a bridge that sounds exactly what happens when you leave two drummers alone in a studio. “Another One” is the heaviest thing they’ve ever committed to tape, a furious, Helmet-and-Refused-indebted rager that deals with heavy themes of despair. But they’re not all thunder; “Sleep” is a surprising, dreamy foray into bedroom pop, showing a dynamic range you don’t always see in a guitar-driven trio. They close it out with “Summer,” a Smashing Pumpkins-inflected track that ends the album on a hopeful, sun-drenched note.
“Silverlinings” is an album that’s nostalgic without being derivative, and current without chasing trends. This is for anyone who craves rock music with braveries, melody, and something to say. Verticoli have not only delivered an album; they’ve thrown down a gauntlet. Now go listen to it. Loud.