Luca Brasi The World Don't Owe You Anything

By now veterans when it comes to the intersection of alt-rock and melodic punk, Luca Brasi hone their pointed songwriting all the more on this sixth album. Despite the reserved vibe of opener “The Entry Ramp,” the Tasmanian band maintains a punchy attack when it counts. Tyler Richardson’s frustrations are front and center on The World Don’t Owe You Anything, with the vocalist/bassist describing the regular task of rebuilding oneself on “Rinse and Repeat” and experiencing waves of midlife disillusionment on “Party Scene.” The title track is particularly scathing, hitting out at anyone who’s waiting around for outside encouragement. Self-produced in collaboration with Slowly Slowly’s Ben Stewart, the album is at once clean-cut and hard-hitting, making room for surging anthems like “’Til Forever” and “Losin’” alongside such nuanced ballads as “Sonny” and the acoustic “Scars.” Thriving in an unexpected middle ground is “Concussion,” a dreamy outlier that sounds more like New Wave than punk. Packing dynamic twists while maturing in subject matter, Luca Brasi continue to lead the way forward for any young Aussie band armed with guitars and something to say.