If there’s one thing that became abundantly clear on the first listen to Delivery’s new album ‘Force Majeure’, it’s that I want to part of their gang. The very first track ‘Digging The Hole’ had me hooked, and didn’t let go until the final note of closing track ‘Exacto’. ‘Force Majeure’ (meaning greater force) is just that. The second album by the Melbourne five-piece is a riot, in the party sense of the word. 

The edgy off-kilter energy is reminiscent of Parquet Courts. Just listen to ‘Operating at a Loss’ with its coffee references followed by ‘What For?’. The absurdities of contemporary life are expressed in the most glorious garage punk vibe.  The sensory overload is extreme, the listener wants to laugh, dance, sing and clap all at the same time. Vocal duties are shared between the male and female voices in the band, enhancing the sense of community.

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Delivery have expressed that they wanted to have sonic breaks on ‘Force Majeure’, rather than full blast all the way through. ‘The New Alphabet’ is the albums’ midpoint and does slow things down a tad, well for most of the track! Delivery simply cannot help themselves. 

Straight into ‘Deadlines’ and the scuzzy pace lifts again. ‘What Else?’ provides an unexpected surprise with its opening electronic beats. More thoughtful it’s an introspective track straight out of 1980’s electronica. The album closes out with the triple whammy of ‘Only A Fool’, ‘Put Your Back Into It’ and ‘Exacto’. 

This is a band having the best time, it seeps through ‘Force Majeure’, the collaboration between its five parts creating a whole which is a joyous exposé of the crazy times we live in. If a dose of serotonin is needed in this Northern Hemisphere winter, just get ‘Force Majeure’ on to the turntable. I challenge you not to grin, dance or sing – I suspect you’ll be doing all three at the same time.

7/10

Words: Julia Mason