Snake Valley are for real. Their debut album Giddy Up! contains all the signature trademarks of ratty, unabashed Australian punk. It’s loud, angry and fueled by disposition, displeasure and a distrust for the social norms that surround them. As frontman Matt Martin puts it: “...there’s something for everyone on this album.” After a listen it’s easy to believe it, too. The bass and guitars are fuzzed-out throughout, the riffs are heavy and the drums are dry as a bone.

Ripper track ‘Doctor Doctor’ slams a huge amount of energy into its one and half minute runtime and is the epitome of what Snake Valley and Giddy Up! are all about. It’s all high octane, lyrically charged, distorted and gritty rock. The album’s best song, however, lies in ‘7.40am’ - it’s reminiscent of Skyhooks and early The Angels, before breaking out into something that’s more The Murlocs or I’m In Your Mind Fuzz era King Gizzard.

There’s a self-awareness present to this record that separates Snake Valley from many of their local counterparts: they’re a band that really know who they are, and they’re deadset on exactly the type of music that they want to put out into the world. The lyrical takeaways from Giddy Up! are clear cut and squarely in-line with the lineage of Australian punk - these songs cry out against the embedded positions of privilege that encircle, seemingly without end, contemporary Australian society.

Matt vocalises his frustrations throughout in an utterly convincing manner - you can hear the stretching of his vocal cords for every growl, yell and scream he lays down. He fluctuates between this kind of audible anger and a far more resigned approach - the two styles working in tandem to form a completely gripping performance all-round. Giddy Up! is, as the title suggests, a wild, fun and gripping ride. Certainly, Snake Valley are one to catch live in the new year - their live show is next level and they’re a band to firmly keep your eyes on.