The Melbourne lads have constructed a dark world of sleaze and fuzz.

We got our first taste of sludgey rockers The Nicoteenagers’ debut record, A Tale For Two, earlier this year when the four-piece gifted us singles ‘Big Thing’ and ‘Black Lips’. Droney guitars, eerie vocals, and upbeat grooves sucked us in completely, and today we have the full realisation of what these guys are capable of, with the record further expanding on their addictively sleek sound.

From album opener and title track ‘A Tale For Two’ the group set the tone the ride, which will see them strut their way through spooky verses, hooky choruses, and more tasty guitar lines than you could poke a stick at. There’s undeniable Queens of the Stone Age and Muse flavourings, but where many others have failed, The Nicoteenagers celebrate these bands with an authenticity that is 100% believable – they own these songs like it’s nobody’s business.

“I had lots of sounds running through my head while writing for this album, but most of the time while writing a track I would imagine it as a soundtrack playing over an experience that I had, as if it were a movie scene,” frontman Drew Gardner says. “I feel like these little bits of imagery have really influenced the sound of each song giving them their own unique character.”

“The making of this record has really helped us to understand ourselves not only as individuals, but as a unit we learned to synergize and evoke the best possible ideas out of each other. Making an album is a real test of friendship but if you make it out the other side there is no better feeling,” he says.

The production on record, which was recorded with Andy Timewell, drags it out of the hard rock/alternative world, giving it a near pop clarity, even if what you’re hearing is dissonant guitars casually dualling in either ear. It’s a nice touch that will undoubtedly see the band earn some radio airtime around the country.

The Nicoteenagers will be taking their record on the road, hitting Frankie’s Pizza in Sydney on July 6th (info here) and The Exeter Hotel in Adelaide August 17th (info here), make sure you catch them while you can.