Cosmic Psychos “Go the Hack” 1989. Survival Records (Australia)/SubPop Records (US), reissue on Goner Records. The second full length LP from thunderous Aussie punks that one helpful Discogs reviewer calls “the missing links between Australian pub rock, Detroit proto-punk, and the sludgy, beer-soaked attitude that would later define Seattle’s underground…Cosmic Psychos played with the simplicity of Motörhead, the swagger of The Saints, and the reckless spirit of the Stooges, but filtered it through an unmistakably Australian sense of humour and working-class grit.” I’m going to add AC/DC to the above comparison/quote: while trite it’s also important to note their hard, deep sound that not all 80’s punks had. I’m also not convinced with the grunge comparison unless you consider bands like L7 (who covered the Psychos “Lost Cause”) and Nashville Pussy from that era “grunge” (I don’t). Cosmic Psychos are way too punchy and fast to easily be lumped in with the swampy sludge of 90’s grunge.

We saw our first Cosmic Psychos show almost exactly three years ago at The Rave, along with fellow Australian punks The Chats and then again a little over two years ago in Las Vegas at Punk Rock Bowling (The Chats were there, too). Go the Hack is loud, fun, obnoxious – precisely what I expect from Australian punks. The whole record is a banger but my top picks are album opener “Lost Cause,” the Motörhead-ringer “Rip ‘n’ Dig” and the lightning-speed shredder “Back in Town.”