There’s lots of ways to make it in today’s amorphous music industry, but one which is fairly well utilised is just to gig like crazy till you’ve built up a following, and then drop your first album. Brisbane’s Mary Trembles are one such band. If you’re a gig-goer in Brisbane, you’ve almost definitely seen these guys supporting the likes of Urge Overkill, Dinosaur Jr, Beasts Of Bourbon, The Mess Hall, and many more, or playing one of their own headline shows. Now, their debut album Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes has been released, and although it’s been a long time coming, it’s been worth the wait – these three local lads have put together a corker of a record.

The mood is set early; Geranium’s opening sees frontman Skritch (Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses and Gota Cola) laying his vocals, which are equal parts high wail and moody foreboding, over guitar riffs and excellent drum work of Damon Cox (Intercooler, An Horse). The song starts relatively softly, but rushes into post-grunge action, with Tanzie providing solid bass rhythms. The epic Jump Like You Wanted To follows, with more power chords and dark angry swirling compositions – Skritch doesn’t exactly sing like an angel, but his vocals never become so dark that they become overbearing.

First single from the album Tiargo is a slightly poppier number, built around an Interpol-like riff, while Grand Central takes the foot off the accelerator for a quieter number. Elsewhere, the near-spoken-word first half of Ugly Song grates, but the second half explodes into power rock riffs. Why O Why’s frenetic pace borders on rockabilly, and Please Don’t Scream, I Hate The Noise begins with Skritch singing softly over gentle guitar strums, before it devolves into a guitar and drum composition that’s primal and visceral. And final track Hold Your Breath For Jesus is just Skritch on the acoustic, slowly exhaling as the album winds down to a relaxed finish.

Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes is a diverse compilation of tracks, demonstrating the variety of skills from Mary Trembles’ three band members. Cox’s drum work is fantastic as always, and Tanzie does good work on the bass. But it’s Skritch’s dark brooding personality that infests this album, without ever causing the music to become too dour. There are power rock chords aplenty to keep the listener’s attention, and between this cracker of a debut record, and a live reputation that swells with every show, Mary Trembles are set to become a force to reckon with in Australian music.

Borrowed Ears, Borrowed Eyes is out now on Plus One Records through Shock.