Don't Thank Me Spank Me! - Be My Forever by Don't Thank Me, Spank Me! published on 2024-02-13T00:35:37Z Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me! are a genius combination of sublime songwriting, good hair and matching Fender Mustangs - Aussie Fran Fines on dexies, sipping cheap chardonnay and wielding loud guitars. The soon-to-be cult Melbourne outfit is made up of best friends Nitida Atkinson (vocals and guitar) and Esther Henderson (vocals and bass). Their self-titled debut album packs a punch. “This album is basically a love affair between our greatest musical influences. We love girl bands from the 70s like the Runaways and the Slits for their attitude and badass-ery and girl power. We love the crass 80s pop/rock aesthetic. We love 90s RnB. We loved Britney Spears with all our hearts! And of course we couldn’t make an album without our parents’ taste in music creeping in - you can hear some real ELO moments and Cate Ceberano themes going on.” The album’s themes speak to the duo’s experience as women moving through the world. “Life is confusing. Sometimes we wanna eat the rich, sometimes we wanna be the rich, sometimes we wanna make-out with someone cute, sometimes we wanna slow-dance around the room like our grandparents did, sometimes we wanna be good, and sometimes we just wanna be bad.” The opening track ‘Sandy’ is an ode to archetypal good-girl gone bad, Sandra D. This quirky disco banger wields gritty guitar hooks, catchy harmonies and spitfire rap lyrics. RnB inspired ‘Dollars and Cents’ embraces the ‘gold diggers in need of a goldmine’ trope, featuring tight vocal harmonies, chunky funk guitar and a groove that sits right at the bottom of a cashed up cowboy’s deepest pocket. At the other end of the spectrum, ‘Hey Woman’ flexes the band’s garage sass, with un-precious vocals and acoustic guitars, raging against the desperate housewives and bored husbands of Prahran. Don’t Thank Me Spank Me! co-produced their album with the help of Henry Jenkins (Mo’Ju), Hudson Whitlock (Karate Boogaloo), Myka Wallace and Jules Pascoe with Casey Rice on mix duties. The self titled debut album is set for release within the first half of 2024. Genre Pop