Tarntanya/Adelaide-based five-piece Any Young Mechanic announce the release of their debut album, The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot on June 5th. Combining the storytelling traditions of folk with a sharp, contemporary edge, the album is a widescreen exploration of human narrative, captured in a whirlwind three-day recording session that prioritised human connection over digital perfection. The album’s raw, immediate energy is the result of what the band calls “enabling constraints.” The 12 tracks were painstakingly rehearsed in drummer Jay Eliot Mee’s childhood bedroom—a space so cramped that a double bass had to be ducked under doorframes.
Taking their name from a lyric in Hooray For Hollywood – inspired by its jarring inclusion in Robert Altman’s neo-noir The Long Goodbye – the band brings a distinctly cinematic sensibility to their music. The album eschews the “cosy campfire” tropes of traditional folk, opting instead for intricate scenes, unique characters, and a kaleidoscopic emotional spectrum.
Frontman Sam Wilson describes the band’s mission as a reclamation of the genre for the modern era.
“We are trying to make folk music for now,” says Wilson. “Turning it on its head in a new, sometimes uncanny way, because we don’t want to just do the old thing again. I don’t think it’s interesting to make things again, so we’re searching for a contemporary edge.”
This edge was sharpened in the rehearsal rooms of Adelaide, where the band members—all alumni of the Elder Conservatorium – found inspiration in the city’s tight-knit DIY music scene as well as modern UK experimental influences. Capturing the immediacy and energy of musicians performing together, Any Young Mechanic balance folk’s enduring charm with bold, live acoustic instrumentation, creating music that feels intimate, expansive and contemporary.
Before officially releasing any music, Any Young Mechanic had already started building a reputation on the road, turning heads with striking festival appearances at Reading & Leeds and Rock en Seine last year. They are set to return to the UK in May including a London show at the end of this month
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