Full SPUT Ahead!
You need to listen to Bellied Star's debut album
We FINALLY did it!
After a year of mucking about, we finally got Bellied Star on Lion City Rock, the podcast I produce about Singapore’s pop music scene. Right on the cusp of them releasing their debut album, SPUT, too!
Bellied Star may be fairly new on the scene, but already they’ve been making waves with the gig-goers. Made up of Audrey (guitars, bass); Ethan (bass); Marco (drums) and Mitch (vocals, guitar), the band first came to my attention about a year ago, after Bas - the one guy I know who’s seen more concerts in SG than most of my other friends combined - suggested that I get them on the podcast, mentioning their Nirvana vibes.
Naturally, I was skeptical. I mean, you’re talking about Nirvana here. But once I heard the intro to their single, ‘If You Mind’ - possibly one of the most melodic and accessible rock songs to come out of the Lion City in recent years - I knew what he meant. I was hooked.
Formed by Mitch, Marco and Ethan, their debut EP, Drolatique was raw, but it was ready and raring to go. Sure, the Nirvana comparisons are there (they musically remind me of Bleach) but, hey, it’s their debut release, and any debut surely features musical influences a fair bit.
Fast forward to today. With several performances under their belt, new addition Audrey to beef out their sound, and producer Bo on the mixing board, SPUT is Drolatique on steroids.
The album comprises 11 of them, including reworked versions of Drolatique songs, and it’s a rollercoaster listen from start to finish (if you’re the kind that still listens to albums at one go, which I am).
It leads off with a superior version of ‘If You Mind’. It’s bigger and fuller, and thanks to its very catchy chorus, is the perfect introduction to the band for people who’ve not of heard them before.
The first half of SPUT comprises rearranged versions of Drolatique tracks, separated only by a new acoustic instrumental (‘Perpetual Notion’). Treat this as the “recap of the band” section, before flooding your ears with the new material.
That happens with ‘Skinning’, the punchy lead single that cranks up the volume as it speeds towards a climactic end. This frenetic pace is tempered by ‘Josephine’s Humour’, an acoustic track that offers a breather before the energy picks up again with a trio of tracks - the bouncy ‘Daisyclay’, ‘Brew’ (the reworked version of ‘Let It Brew’) and ‘Silver Sugars’, which nearly veers into exploratory rock - before bringing the album to a close with ‘Tear Your Light’. The song starts as a haunting acoustic guitar-led tune with spacey vocals before the rest of the band joins in. , as they wrap the finale in a neat, if bow.
Should you get it? If you’re looking for a rock album that lives up to its promise, then my answer is: yes. Some thought was put into SPUT. That they started it with ‘If You Mind’ instead of the lead single, ‘Skinning’, or their EP opener, ‘Monthly Fee’, shows that intention of wanting to draw a wider audience. The added production value makes this on par with any rock debut release from anywhere in the world.
Admittedly, I bought SPUT within minutes of reading about its release, without even listening to the songs or reading other people’s reviews (of which there were few at the time).
That was five weeks ago. I can’t help but listen to the album as much as I can on my daily commute.
Having talked to them on Lion City Rock, I think they have a bright future ahead… if they can get the support they deserve and need. IMO, the island’s music scene lacks a solid rock scene, but if Bellied Star can be the spearhead or even bedrock of that, then I think we’re in safe hands.
Fave tracks: ‘If You Mind’, ‘Skinning’, ‘Daisyclay’