Second albums have a tendency to make or break bands. Oftentimes, an outfit’s sophomore effort will be the record that really galvanises their chemistry, with amplified energy and calculated confidence. But sometimes it can be the record that totally derails what structure that outfit had, proving either that their first album was a fluke, or that their confidence after a successful debut grew a little too unwieldy. Loser, thankfully, fit much more into the first category than the second.
Speaking with frontman Tim Maxwell, the Melbournite’s confidence is not misplaced – he’s a bloody great songwriter (and an even better performer), and he certainly knows it. He and brother Will have been shredding together their whole lives, but it wasn’t until the mid-2010s that they finally joined forces, Tim and Will have finally cracked the code to what makes their yin-and-yang guitarmanship really .
