Ecca Vandal is fired up. The Melbourne-based, genre-defying, immeasurably talented artist is excited with good reason. She’s now more than a year removed from the surprise release of her debut EP – the then peak of her steady rise through the ranks as one of the most attention grabbing new acts in music. That period since though, has seen her widely celebrated, and cut a path that has led her to where we stand now, poised at the release of her debut album – the self-titled Ecca Vandal.

With an arsenal of hits already under her belt (‘White Flag,’ ‘End Of Time’, ‘Truth To Trade,’ ‘Battle Royal,’ and her collab track with Moonbase ‘Oblivion’), Vandal sought to push herself and experiment through the recording of Ecca Vandal. And although the old identifiers are still there – Vandal’s commanding aggression, vocal dexterity, natural magnetism and unique ability to meld rock, punk, rap, soul and pretty much whatever she felt like – what really stands out about this record is its explosive, irrepressible energy. 

The walloping first hit, ‘Broke Days Party Nights,’ lands with the same ferocity of her very first hit, ‘White Flag’. It’s a song that pulsates with the same frenetic percussion and angular, piercing guitar lines that populate the likes of Mars Volta’s ‘Inertiatic Esp’, but ‘BDPN’ retains Ecca’s signature, bombastic delivery as it rains down like a carpet bombing raid. In true punk form, it’s an anthem for the frustrations of generations of young people – especially this one. A call to arms to live life to its peak and to never let finances or rulebooks stop you from tearing the roof off the joint and having a great time.

It’s true, there’s plenty to absorb across Ecca Vandal the album’s truly original tracks – but each one builds upon and reinforces the next. What’s undeniable when you reach its end though, is that Ecca Vandal, the artist, sure has made it hard to predict the shape of punk, rock, and hip hop to come.