Getting to know Australian snotty-rockers Dune Rats via their online presence, you get a pretty clear picture of what to expect: The band’s Facebook page lists “max chillin” as an interest, describes the band’s sound as “dunecore stoner pop” and the members as “three hyperactive stoner cunts.” Digging into the music, you’ll find this all pretty apt.
Musically, Dune Rats mix the “ready steady go” of English post-punk and The Ramones’ “gabba gabba hey” with the arty-in-spite-of-themselves sensibility of New Zealand bands like The Chills or The Bats.
Dune Rats’ 2013 EP Smile kicks off with this Dead Milkmen-esque punk couplet from “Red Light Green Light”: “You’ll never like us ‘cause we’re so lame/ We’ll never like you ‘cause you’re so lame.”
Elsewhere, with “Fuck It,” Dune Rats update the classic rock ‘n’ roll sentiment “Ain’t no cure for the summertime blues” with their own bratty refrains: “I never liked you much, fuck it” and “You always bring me down, you’ll never bring me down.”
And the endearing “Stoner Pop” is a classic bored teenager anthem, complete with the line: “Hangin’ out drinkin’ Coca Cola.” “All You Do” features reverb-drenched vocal arrangements. The bands lists The Beach Boys as an influence, and you can hear it here — albeit playfully less refined than the perfectionist Brian Wilson ever could be.
Behavior Castle presents Dune Rats with Portland’s Talkative and Eugene’s Best Friends 8 pm Monday, Feb. 24, at The Boreal, 450 W. 3rd; $5.