King Stingray - King Stingray (2022)

King Stingray's self-titled debut album is a revelation. An awakening. But at the same time, it's everything the world has come to love from this five-piece Yolnu surf rock combo, who have been ripping Australian stages and airwaves apart since 2020. Hailing from the Northern Territory and Queensland, the tight-knit crew of Yolnu (Aboriginal people of northeast Arnhem Land) and balanda (non-Indigenous) musicians have produced a set of 10 tracks to rival any Australian band's debut. Think Warumpi Band's Big Name, No Blankets. Tame Impala's Innerspeaker. The Chats' High Risk Behaviour. Then add an ancient tradition of manikay (song/songlines) that dates back tens of thousands of years, and a profound love of country and Mother Earth, and there sits King Stingray. Raw, wild and free. A roadtrip into northeast Arnhem Land, stringybark trees flying past the window, surrounded by mates and with the stereo blasting. King Stingray's do-it-yourself ethos and connection to home and family resonates through every song, from the funk-laden joy of Milkumana, to the soaring Milk Mirri Wayin, the sweet melancholy of triple j favourite Get Me Out, the boppy fun of Camp Dog, the punk rock thrash of Raypirri and the acoustic beauty of album closer Life Goes On. Recorded and produced between the NT, Brisbane and the Byron Bay hinterland, King Stingray rocks vibrant and colourful like a great glowing dj pana (sunset) through the East Arnhem Land sky. The album is a vital entry to Australian music and cements the band's status as one of the most exciting acts to burst out of the NT in years.