The new album ‘Domesticated Beast’
Album number 4 Domesticated beast has been a long time coming, but it’s now available to pre-order on Bandcamp and pre-save on Spotify. It’s on pre-release and out 11 Oct on Bandcamp, and 18 October on all the streamers. Look out for vinyl in March 2025.
Domesticated Beast is the long-awaited fourth full-length from Sydney, Australia’s pop-rock adventurers The Nature Strip. The Nature Strip is led by singer-songwriters Pete Marley and John Encarnação and becomes a full live and recording unit with the talents of Matt Langley and Jess Ciampa.
Domesticated Beast is the group’s first major statement since 2017’s Beetle Bones, by turns power pop, a bit new wave, occasionally a bit folk rock, and other things besides. This album collects most of the singles the group has dropped over the last two years – John’s taut and funky singalong “Surgery”, Pete’s power pop masterclasses “Sixth Sense” and “Prime Time”, and their hard rockin’ collab “I Cannot Deny You”, for which a stunning clip by Luke Bozzetto has just been released.
But there are twelve tracks here, and others include Pete and John’s leftfield collabs “King of Trees” (think pastoral XTC, with a stunning trombone solo by James Greening) and the skewed folk/Americana of “Nerve Endings Fade”. John’s nervy new wave tune “Wavelength” is radio ready, and another earworm is his collab with Lazy Susan/Family Fold star Paul Andrews, “Signature Move”.
As usual, the subject matter gives the listener a lot to chew on: the long gestation of the cicada becomes a metaphor in “Prime Time”, while daft fantasies of power charge “The Royal Cannon”. “King of Trees” imagines life from the perspective of a scarecrow, while the guy in “Monday” has been so ghosted he wonders whether his lover actually exists. “Wavelength” runs a gauntlet from initial fascination through brief domesticity to the end of things in 2:20 while “Nerve Endings Fade” dissolves a relationship and nature, bliss and oblivion.
Did I mention John’s palette of guitar colours, his pithy and melodic way with lead breaks? How about Jess’s irrepressible drumming, the true, solid south of Pete’s bass playing, Matt’s informed choices on piano and organ? The Nature Strip is a consummate combo, superlative songs given their ultimate form on Domesticated Beast.
The road to Domesticated Beast
Late 2009: Pete visits John saying “help me finish these songs”. By the end of the night they’ve got two in the bag. They don’t know it but a band is born.
2010-2012: Intermittent recording sessions that will result in debut album Stars Turn Inside Out.
2012: First gigs, consolidate line-up, The Nature Strip is introduced to the world.
2013: Stars Turn Inside Out released, as well as 45 “Beyond the Nether”. TNS also contributes their cover of “Growing Up” to Laughing Outlaw’s Springsteen tribute CD.
2014: Plainclothes EP released. “Cup of Tea” receives airplay on Radio National and community radio and becomes one of the most-loved Nature Strip tunes.
2016: Second album Presents released, with airplay for singles “Dark Matter” and “Shoes”.
2017: Third album Beetle Bones released, with further much-loved TNS classics “Break Through”, “Waterfall” and “Supermoon”.
2018: Past Pacific EP released, including their cover of Models’ “Atlantic Romantic”.
2019: TNS goes on hiatus for two years.
2020: John releases Wooden Box With Strings (as Warmer) and Pete releases Savoury -Toothed Tiger (as Marveline). Each features a cowrite by the other.
Late 2020- early 2021: Pete and John reconvene and write “I Cannot Deny You”, “King of Trees” and “Nerve Endings Fade”. The gang is back in town.
May 2021: Sessions begin for what will become Domesticated Beast.
2022: “Surgery” and “Sixth Sense” singles released.
2023: TNS release three singles: “I Cannot Deny You”, a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Rainmaker”, and “Prime Time”, as well as an EP of remixes of early work, Beyond the Sirens to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut album Stars Turn Inside Out. “Prime Time” becomes their most streamed song on YouTube.
2024: Fourth album Domesticated Beast released to streaming services.
2025: Domesticated Beast released on vinyl.