Straddling the magical in-between of punk and pop, Married Man hides no shame in bruised egos and regrets. The Sydney trio’s debut album Hard Bargain hits straight from the heart.
Once the solo project of Sydney musician Sarafina Pea, Married Man has grown into a sharp three-piece outfit with Kim Sukit on bass and Marnie Vaughn as drummer.
The nine-track LP intimately collects two years of Pea’s songwriting, during a time of “travel, novelty, upheaval and the mundane” she said. “For sure there’s personal experience, but it’s not entirely autobiographical. There are songs that explore observations of other relationships and experiences from the periphery.”
In particular, the LP’s title track, “Hard Bargain” delivers an incredible flourish of anguish in a relationship break up. The band describes the song as “a pummeling ‘fuck you’ to heartbreakers the world over”. Catchy and uncomfortable, the track is defiant yet empathetic. Through an unsettling upbeat, lead vocalist Pea slams the opening cries: “Can’t make me fall any harder / Can’t make you fall any faster”. Likewise, bassist Kim Sukit said, “”Hard Bargain” is written to anyone who’s ever been an asshole to someone that cared deeply about them. I think we can all be a bit guilty of that at some point.”
Surprisingly, Pea didn’t consider “Hard Bargain” to be a single, worried that it was too bouncy. “Luckily the anguish in my voice over-rides that,” she said. And lucky for us too. The outstanding track became an unapologetic lead for the album.
“I don’t think a song is any good if it isn’t about something that you understand and feel.”
In spite of the opening song’s angst, the LP doesn’t merely revel in dolor. The band takes pride in life’s good times too. Songs like “In This Room” sneaks in a two-minute quickie with listeners, with Sukit listing “the song about sex” as one of her favourites on the album. “I don’t think a song is any good if it isn’t about something that you understand and feel,” she said.
Above all, what stands out is the band’s purposeful lo-fi textures. Married Man nails the essence of each song with wonderfully minimal arrangements. “Clear as Hell” builds incredible tension with baroque harpsichord sounds and haunting vocal layers. “Power Couple” also hits a stellar mark, soaring through stadium chorus highs to seething 4am secrets and quiet.
Hard Bargains is a debut album of dazzling proportions. Easily a repeat long-player, Married Man manage to find clarity in the murky depths of life and lo-fi.
You can share some love by buying Married Man’s LP Hard Bargains on vinyl through Bandcamp, stream it on Spotify, and give them a thumbs up on Facebook.