Rabbit, a foursome out of Hobart, Tasmania, debuted last year with one of the most promising punk rock singles of recent memory. A year later, Rabbit has fulfilled that promise with a truly exceptional debut album. Out now on cassette on Hobart's Rough Skies Records, good love is a hot chip follows in the grand tradition of Aussie punk rock. Bookended by the perfect punky power pop of "Sunday Best" and last year's debut stunner "Gone Gone Gone," good love delivers plenty of what we had hoped for from a Rabbit debut album along with some pleasant surprises. The band proudly wears its Australian punk lineage across nine excellent tracks — delivering a splendid mix of tuneful punk rippers, super-tough power pop tunes, and epic ballads. The two ballads, running a total of 13 minutes, are well-placed in the middle of the set. This gives the album a satisfying flow. It comes on with a jolt of energy ("Sunday Best" and "Safeguard" are as good of a 1-2 leadoff punch as I've heard on any album this year) before giving way to the softer reflections of "The Path Now Passed" and "The Bones of Kinder Things." And then just like that, "Yanya" ushers in a thrilling sprint to the finish. Even with the pair of six minute plus numbers included, this album feels lean and always leaving me thinking, "Wait, is that all?" The songs are superb all the way through, and the band is truly formidable (vocals, guitar, drums, and bass are all freaking great!). The lyrics are really good as well. Listening to "Gone Gone Gone" again, I can understand why I was so instantly won over by Rabbit. If you wondered whether the band could sustain that sort of quality over a full album, we now have our answer. good love is one of 2022's best long players, and I'm sure many of you eagerly await a proper vinyl release!
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