It’s been a fast moving 18 months for Sweetie. After forming in a bedroom during Sydney’s 2020 lockdown, by December the group had taken to the stage and before long, they’d asserted themselves as a must-see local act and were sharing stages with the likes of The Murlocs, Hatchie and Body Type. The Sweetie whirlwind hasn’t quite stopped yet though - now with whispers of a forthcoming EP on the horizon, they’ve unveiled their debut single ‘Boundary Queen’, a first taste of how their shapeshifting sound translates on record.

Built around a worming bassline over a propulsive groove, ‘Boundary Queen’ widens with expansive guitar chimes that gleam and tangle gloriously around Lily Keenan’s forthright vocals. On a first read, their “devo country punk” tag might be a bit disorientating, but somehow ‘Boundary Queen’ wrangles these seemingly disparate influences together - there’s something a little country in the dry and balmy soundscape paired with Lily’s evocative drawl, which somehow blends effortlessly with the swirls of dreamy guitar as well as the track’s post-punk urgency. The devo element (which I assume has to mean devastated, as opposed to the weirdo new-wave group) isn’t hard to miss either - although Lily’s vocals hold a commanding presence over the track’s flowing layers, her delivery cleverly flickers between self-assurance and vulnerability, making ‘Boundary Queen’ feel all the more emotionally charged as it unravels, especially as the looming backing vocals emerge to overwhelm each chorus with an extra shot of energy.

The band explain that the track comes from a “desire to feel in control when you have no self control in the chaos of a deteriorating relationship”, which makes the tug-of-war between the stark and sturdy instrumentation and Lily’s restless vocals all the more fitting. Speaking about the track, Lily explains “‘Boundary Queen’ is an ironic name I’ve used for myself at moments of bad decision making. As we get older, we get better at explaining our bad habits, but not necessarily curbing them. The song is about breaking the boundaries you’ve set for yourself - we’ve all been a Boundary Queen at one point in life”.