“This is The Hard Aches at their very best.” – Kill Your Stereo
“This second release shows a burgeoning maturity in the band’s sound and is definitely worth a listen.” – Overdrive Magazine
“Sometimes when you hear an album which wrestles with the issue of mental health, you get an overwhelming wish to just help that artist get through it, because you can’t see them doing it alone. Mess – the second full-length release from Adelaide duo The Hard Aches – feels different.” – Stack Magazine
The Hard Aches teamed up with Melbourne producer Sam Johnson at this studio Holes & Corners, having admired his work over the last few years on records with Camp Cope, The Smith Street Band,and The Bennies. After 3 long weeks and many late nights, the team had crafted 12 new tracks. Following some deliberation, the reigns were handed to grammy award winning engineer William Bowden, who imparted his mastering expertise on the record.
Mess is a collection of songs inspired by the people around Ben and Alex and the experiences they’ve shared together or apart. The album was written with a focus on mental health in a hopeful and positive light.
Ben David talks about the album, “Our brand-new album Mess is a collection of songs inspired by the people around us and the experiences we’ve all shared together or apart. Written with a focus on mental health in a hopeful and positive light. This album is sonically (and creatively) the best representation of us as a band, the album we’ve been working towards creating through years of touring and making music.”
Mess features guest vocal parts from Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq, The Bennies’ Craig Selak, and Long Island’s own Jeff Rosenstock, who happened to be in the country for Melbourne’s yearly punk rock festival, the Poison City Weekender.