The Thousands

Punk is now more than 30 years old, and while that might not be old enough to qualify for the pension, those who were around to see the scene ignite in the ’70s are certainly getting close. Yet, as a general rule, it still plays as music for the young. The genre hasn’t necessarily aged with its instigators.

This is where Melbourne’s Total Control come in. While they may not be of (pension) card-carrying age, they project visions of those who are. The man who begrudgingly accepts his gold watch as he reaches retirement. The woman whose prescribed pills only offset the effects of the other drugs she’s been ordered to ingest.

Total Control channel the dread of aging. Their synths attack our insecurities about our future. Their vocals batter our hopes of a peaceful existence beyond the working life. It’s all rather grim. And it should be.