Scomo Goes To Hawaii / While Aus Burns is both a factual statement and the latest vinyl release from Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice. A compilation of the 2019/2020 twin EP’s written and recorded over a combined 6 days in the peak of the black summer bushfires: One part written satirically from the first-person perspective of a leader on a tropical island who abandons his country in crisis (sending Thoughts & Prayers From The Deckchair); the other from a perplexed yet powerless pleb witnessing the full impact of the crisis - a crisis exacerbated by a succession of similarly corrupt self-serving leaders, refusing to take action on climate change, propping up dead industries, and hoarding all the wealth whilst shifting the blame onto the impotent masses.

Led by Dougal Shaw (also known as Marthouse label founder and guitarist for Cash Savage and the Last Drinks), Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice are crafting postmodern, politically charged post-punk that speaks for an overstimulated and disillusioned generation. As a follow-up to November’s ‘Remember The Future?’ LP which earned them their ARIA chart debut and a sold out Australian tour, SGTH/WAB is a potent act of “laughtivism”, the satirical edge of Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice cutting through Murdoch media manipulation, Canberra corruption, capitalist collapse and fossil fuel fuckery. As Shaw explains, his songwriting is lyrically “reacting to whatever’s dominating the news feed, it’s all catastrophes and conspiracies. I’m trying to find some light in the dark, trying to make some sense out of it, or at least document it.” And though it’s motorik drum machines and arpeggiated synthesizers will just as easily be pumped on dancefloors, SGTH/WAB should be archived as a historical document.

Two years after Scott Morrison held up a lump of coal in parliament and declared, "this is coal, there's nothing to be afraid of", Australia was hit by its worst bushfire season on record. As the crisis worsened (and whilst withholding funding for volunteer firefighters) Scomo left the country, telling his staff not to reveal where he was. It was only when volunteer firefighters were killed that he admitted he was on holiday in Hawaii. In the following days from December 21-23, 2019, Shaw wrote and recorded Scomo Goes To Hawaii. Partly catharsis, but mostly to utilise the tools available to him to raise some funds - uploading the EP to bandcamp the next day (December 24) for $5 and raising over $1000 for the Rural Fire Service.

Of the follow-up, While Aus Burns, Shaw said “Between December 27 '19 and January 7 '20 I drove from my home town in Central Qld, Darumbal country, back to Naarm, Wurundjeri country - about 3500km's down the East Coast of so-called Australia during the peak of the Black Summer Bushfires. The damage I witnessed has stayed with me, burned into my vision. I got to Melbourne with a fire in my belly and this EP spilled out.” Once again written expeditiously, between January 7-10 2020, this time the songs sat on a hard drive for the better part of a year. “As the crises piled up on 2020 I shelved these tracks, I found them hard to revisit, but with Scott Morrison's announcement of a gas-led recovery out of Covid the fire in my belly returned and it felt necessary to add these songs to the canon - A reminder of where fossil fuels have gotten us so far.” Released on cassette in October 2020 and sold out before it’s release - both EP’s have since been out of print.

Enter Swish Swash Records, a fresh-faced underground label based in Rennes, France, with a passion for ‘weirdos musics from all around the world’. After stumbling across the EP’s and playing them on his radio show, label owner Alex Besnard emailed the band asking ‘Why has nobody heard these songs?’. In collaboration with Marthouse Records in Australia Scomo Goes To Hawaii / While Aus Burns has been pressed on vinyl for the first time, remastered by the enigmatic Mikey Young and with new album art, photo insert and lyric sheet by Dougal Shaw. Perhaps a chance for Besnard’s concern to be appeased, and just in time for the federal election - a timely reminder of a cacophony of cock-ups.

1. Off To Hawaii 02:30

2. I'm A Runaway 02:36

3. I Can't Hear You (From Honolulu) 02:32

4. Everything Is Burning 02:35

5. Thoughts & Prayers (From The Deckchair) 02:36

6. Blood Munny 03:01

7. Twenny Twenny Vision 03:30

8. Murray-Darling 02:31

9. 10 Million Acres 04:00

“Recorded during Australia’s ‘black summer’ bush wild fires 2019/2020. Dougal Shaw wrote songs about a dubious exodus and environmental crisis. 2 EP’s originally released on tape now compiled on vinyl for the first time. For fans of DEVO, Brainiac, The Screamers…” - Swish Swash Records

Limited vinyl release - 100 Sky Blue, 200 Coal Black

Released on Swish Swash (EU) & Marthouse (AU)

Re-mastered for vinyl by Mikey Young with new album art, photo insert and lyric sheet by Dougal Shaw

credits

Released May 13, 2022

All songs written, recorded and mixed by Dougal Shaw

Scomo Goes To Hawaii:

Written/recorded Dec 21-23 2019

Originally released Dec 24 2019

While Aus Burns:

Written/recorded Jan 7-10 2020

Originally released Oct 2 2020

Dr Sure's Unusual Practice exists and operates on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations

POST-TRASH

HAPPY MAG

MAX RNR

GREEN LEFT