The Murlocs
Biography The Murlocs
The Murlocs
Australian band The Murlocs have often been labeled garage rockers, and while their music certainly does have a "garagy" feel to it, the band have evolved to explore pop, Americana and even heavy metal influences in their songwriting.
Fronted by Ambrose Kenny-Smith of Australian rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard on vocals and harmonica, The Murlocs released their fifth studio album, Bittersweet Demons, in 2021. Showcasing how they've has matured as artists since forming in 2011, the record reflects on people who have come and gone in their lives and how fragile life is.
Despite their introspective lyrical leanings, The Murlocs are known for their ecstatic and energetic live performances where their loyal and enthusiastic fans often chant their lyrics in unison.
The Murlocs formed in 2011 when the band members were teenagers in Melbourne, living along the picturesque Victoria Surf Coast. The original lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Ambrose Kenny-Smith, lead guitarist Callum Shortal, Jamie Harmer on rhythm guitar, bassist Andrew Crossley, and Matt Blach on drums. They started out as a cover band reimagining songs by the likes of Ray Charles and Creedence Clearwater Revival and soon began writing and performing their own original material.
The Murlocs released both a debut self-titled EP as well as a second EP, Teepee, in 2012, and ended up signing to Australian indie label Flightless Records. The band soon weathered some lineup changes, with Cook Craig replacing Crossley on bass.
While many members of The Murlocs also play in other Flightless Records bands, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Craig, in an interview with SPIN magazine, says that what differentiates The Murlocs is that they're "more of a classic band, where everyone gets in a room and jams. That's most of the time how anything happens, whereas in Gizz, different people write songs, but it's done a bit more fragmented."
Despite being in other prolific bands and taking part in the annual Gizzfest tour with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, The Murlocs have released several albums, including their fifth full-length, Bittersweet Demons, in June 2021, featuring the popular single "Francesca." The experimental album saw them exploring '80s pop music in their own unique way. They released their ambitious sixth studio album, Rapscallion, just a year later in September 2022, which they called a "coming-of-age novel in album form."
