Brain Candy (album)

Last updated

Brain Candy
Hockey Dad - Brain Candy.png
Studio album by
Released31 July 2020
Studio Robert Lang Studios, Western Australia
Genre Rock [1]
Length45:06
Label Farmer & The Owl, BMG
Producer John Goodmanson
Hockey Dad chronology
Blend Inn
(2018)
Brain Candy
(2020)
Live at the Drive In
(2021)
Singles from Brain Candy
  1. "I Missed Out"
    Released: 15 November 2019 [2]
  2. "Itch"
    Released: 14 February 2020 [3]
  3. "In This State"
    Released: 17 April 2020 [4]
  4. "Good Eye"
    Released: 11 June 2020 [5]
  5. "Germaphobe"
    Released: 31 July 2020 [6]

Brain Candy is the third studio album from Australian duo Hockey Dad. [7] The album was released on 31 July 2020 by Farmer & The Owl and debuted at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Contents

The album was nominated for Best Album at the 2021 Rolling Stone Australia Awards. [8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Mark Deming form AllMusic said "[Hockey Dad] have gained a bit in the way of chops over the space of four years, and they certainly know their way around the studio better; the guitar, bass, and keyboard overdubs give the album a fuller and more satisfying sound without squeezing the spontaneity out of the tracks, and the melodies possess a bit more complexity, adding additional layers that make the results sound a touch more grown up than before." Deming concluded saying "Brain Candy isn't kid's stuff, but rather the word of two guys determined to make adulthood work for them without spoiling everything, and Hockey Dad hit that target with flying colors." [9]

Ali Shutler from NME said the album is "A departure from their scrappy origins, this record is a big, grown-up collection of forward-thinking rock gems. Sure, it might not be as chaotic or feel as grimy as what's come before, but it's a deliberately larger-than-life affair. With Brain Candy, all bets are off: Broader, more colourful and with a lot more to say, it shows Hockey Dad are ready to take on the world." [1]

Track listing

All music is composed by Zach Stephenson and William Fleming

Brain Candy track listing
No.TitleLength
1."In This State"3:02
2."I Missed Out"3:33
3."Milk in the Sun"2:59
4."Good Eye"3:54
5."Germaphobe"3:24
6."Itch"4:54
7."Heavy Assault"2:45
8."Nestle Down"3:37
9."Tell Me What You Want"3:11
10."Dole Brother"2:45
11."Keg"3:13
12."Reno"3:50
13."Looking Forward to the Change"4:19
Total length:45:06

Personnel

Musicians

Hockey Dad

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Brain Candy
Chart (2020)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 2

Related Research Articles

<i>Bandwagonesque</i> 1991 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Bandwagonesque is the third album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in November 1991 on Creation Records. The album gave the band substantial US success when the single "Star Sign" reached number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their biggest hit in that country, with "What You Do to Me" and "The Concept" also becoming top 20 hits on that chart. Bandwagonesque was voted 'album of the year' for 1991 by American music magazine Spin, famously beating Nirvana's Nevermind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball Park Music</span> Australian indie rock band

Ball Park Music is an Australian five-piece indie rock band from Brisbane consisting of Sam Cromack, Jennifer Boyce, Paul Furness, Dean Hanson and Daniel Hanson. Since forming in 2008, the band has released seven studio albums. Their debut, Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs (2011), was nominated for Australian Album of the Year at the J Awards, and its 2012 follow-up, Museum, debuted at number nine on the ARIA charts. Their third album, Puddinghead (2014), was supported by the certified-platinum lead single "She Only Loves Me When I'm There".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hockey Dad</span> Australian indie rock band

Hockey Dad is an Australian surf rock band from Windang, New South Wales. The duo consists of drummer Billy Fleming and vocalist and guitarist Zach Stephenson. Since 2013, they have released one EP– Dreamin' (2014), and three studio albums– most recently, Brain Candy (2020), which peaked at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart. They will release their fourth studio album, Rebuild Repeat, on 14 June 2024.

<i>Boronia</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Hockey Dad

Boronia is the debut album from Australian duo Hockey Dad. The album was released in August 2016 by Farmer & the Owl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Kids</span> Australian indie rock band

Middle Kids are an Australian alternative indie rock band from Sydney. The group consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Hannah Joy, bass guitarist Tim Fitz, and drummer Harry Day. Since forming in 2016, the band has released their eponymous debut EP (2017), the album Lost Friends (2018), the New Songs for Old Problems EP (2019), and their second studio album, Today We're the Greatest (2021). In February 2024, they released their third album, Faith Crisis Pt 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex the Astronaut</span> Australian folk-pop singer and songwriter

Alexandra Lynn, known professionally as Alex the Astronaut, is an Australian folk-pop singer-songwriter.

<i>Blend Inn</i> 2018 studio album by Hockey Dad

Blend Inn is the second studio album from Australian post punk duo Hockey Dad. The album was released on 9 February 2018 by Farmer & The Owl. In 2018, the lead single "Homely Feeling" was voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017 at No. 54. This marked the first time the band has appeared in the countdown. In 2019, the tracks "Join the Club", "Sweet Release" and "I Wanna Be Everybody" were voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018 at Nos. 18, 73 and 61, respectively.

<i>Dreamin</i> (EP) 2014 EP by Hockey Dad

Dreamin' is the debut EP from Australian surf rock duo Hockey Dad. The EP was released in June 2014 by Farmer & The Owl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Fields</span> Australian musician

Ruby Phillips, known professionally as Ruby Fields, is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Cronulla, New South Wales. In 2018, she released her debut EP Your Dad's Opinion for Dinner, followed by the singles "I Want", "P Plates", and "Ritalin". Her single "Dinosaurs" reached number nine on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lime Cordiale</span> Australian pop rock duo

Lime Cordiale are an Australian pop rock group formed in 2009. It consists of brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach, with additional members James Jennings, Felix Bornholt and Nicholas Polovineo. They released their debut studio album Permanent Vacation in 2017. The group have performed at Groovin' the Moo and South by Southwest (SXSW). At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards they were nominated in eight categories and won Breakthrough Artist – Release for their second album, 14 Steps to a Better You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slowly Slowly (band)</span> Australian pop punk band

Slowly Slowly are an Australian pop punk and indie rock band from Melbourne, Victoria. The band consists of Ben Stewart, Patrick Murphy (drums), Albert Doan (guitar), and Alex Quayle. They released their debut album Chamomile in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spacey Jane</span> Australian indie rock band

Spacey Jane are an Australian indie rock band formed in Fremantle in 2016. The group consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Caleb Harper, lead guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu, drummer Kieran Lama and bass guitarist Peppa Lane, who replaced original bassist Amelia Murray in 2019.

<i>Lonely Diamond</i> 2020 studio album by Ocean Alley

Lonely Diamond is the third studio album by Australian band Ocean Alley. It was released on 19 June 2020 under Unified and Sony Music Australia. The album was announced in April 2020, alongside the release of the album's fourth single, "Hot Chicken".

<i>Ball Park Music</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Ball Park Music

Ball Park Music is the sixth studio album by Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music. It was written and recorded in Brisbane throughout the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, and released on 23 October 2020. The album was preceded by three singles – "Spark Up!", "Day & Age" and notably "Cherub", which polled at number four in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020.

Teenage Joans are an Australian indie rock and punk rock duo from Adelaide, South Australia, who formed in 2018. The duo consists of vocalist and drummer Tahlia Borg and vocalist and guitarist Cahli Blakers.

<i>Terra Firma</i> (Tash Sultana album) 2021 studio album by Tash Sultana

Terra Firma is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter, Tash Sultana. The album was released on 19 February 2021, through their own record label, Lonely Lands Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherub (song)</span> 2020 song by Ball Park Music

"Cherub" is a song by Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music, released on 27 August 2020 as the third and final single from their self-titled sixth studio album Ball Park Music (2020). The song peaked at number 52 on the ARIA charts, and reached certified platinum status in Australia for selling 70,000 units. "Cherub" was considered a favourite to top the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020, but polled at number four.

<i>0202</i> 2021 studio album by the Rubens

0202 is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock group the Rubens, released on 12 February 2021 by Ivy League Records.

<i>Rehearsal</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Skegss

Rehearsal is the second studio album by Australian surf music and garage rock band Skegss, released on 26 March 2021. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. Upon announcement, Skegss' Ben Reed said he was "not expecting it", and CEO of ARIA Annabelle Herd remarked that the band's "good time energy is exactly what we need right now".

<i>Rebuild Repeat</i> 2024 studio album by Hockey Dad

Rebuild Repeat is the upcoming fourth studio album by Australian indie rock band Hockey Dad. It is set to release on 14 June 2024 via Farmer & the Owl. The album is currently preceded by two singles, "Still Have Room" and "Base Camp". It will be supported by an Australian tour from June 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shutler, Ali (30 July 2020). "Hockey Dad – Brain Candy review: Windang duo drop the scrappiness and go big". NME . Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. Newstead, Al (15 November 2019). "First Spin: Hockey Dad's "I Missed Out" pounds FOMO into riff-meat". ABC . Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  3. Newstead, Al (14 February 2020). "First Spin: Hockey Dad channel big '90s vibes on 'Itch', announce new album". ABC . Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  4. Newstead, Al (16 April 2020). "First Spin: Hockey Dad share new song "In This State", delay new album". Triple J . Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  5. Bruce, Jasper (11 June 2020). "Hockey Dad share "Good Eye" the new single from upcoming album". NME . Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  6. Bruce, Jasper (31 July 2020). "Hockey Dad share new album Brain Candy and video for "Germaphobe"". NME. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  7. "Brain Candy by Hockey Dad". Apple Music. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  8. "Tash Sultana, Tkay Maidza, and Tame Impala Lead Rolling Stone Australia Awards Winners". Rolling Stone Australia . 31 March 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  9. 1 2 Brain Candy at AllMusic
  10. "Australiancharts.com – Hockey Dad – Brain Candy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2021.