Uncle Murl’s most ugly and perplexing album art yet gives way to an incredibly cohesive effort – with some of their finest tunes to date.

Coming in a just over 9 months since their explosive 2022 record Rapscallion, Calm Ya Farm sees The Murlocs once again exploring a different variation on their trademark sound. This time, the influences stem from country rock and bluegrass – much like the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s 2019 album Fishing For Fishies (itself one of the tightest and most enjoyable records amongst their endlessly growing catalogue). Frontman Ambrose Kenny-Smith’s late father was Australian country rock/blues legend Broderick Smith, and it would be safe to say his body of work surely give influence to Ambrose during his youth and beyond, and that inspiration is on full display with this latest album.

Slide guitar and tasteful sax solos notwithstanding, the album still has all the hallmarks that create that familiar Murlocs feeling we all know and love, as well as bringing new sonic flavours into the mix that I never knew I needed in a Murlocs song til now.

The album opens with the killer single Initiative,an upbeat and reflective tune which finds Ambrose waxing lyrical about the need to take responsibility for one’s own life and decisions – and declaring he is “mad as a hatter”. The next few tracks tackle subjects ranging from the erosion of so-called “common sense” to superstitions, both in the general and religious sense.

Track 5 – Centennial Perspective – soon rolls around, and it is another infectiously catchy tune lambasting the ignorance and fear-mongering often seen from the elderly citizens we live amongst. Television brainwashing, political mistrust, the quality of today’s music and even the slow death march towards the planet’s eventual untimely demise are all tied together with a hook you’ll find yourself singing for weeks to come.

Queen Pinky comes next, a lovely cut written by Ambrose for his wife.

Following this, a personal highlight – and the 2^nd single released for the album – arrives in Undone and Unashamed. An addictively replayable track that could be interpreted as being about letting your character flaws define you, and embracing the turmoil that comes with that. In an interview with Live for Live, Ambrose himself said about the track (and it’s accompanying video):

“Letting loose all the time comes at a cost. When you choose to not hold yourself accountable for your actions by going on countless benders will only make things worse. People don’t always forgive and forget.”

Captain Cotton Mouth finds Ambrose once again affecting a low narrator’s drawl, much as he tried on Rapscallion’s third act – however this time with much more effective and enjoyable results.

Catfish and Smithereens were two tracks I didn’t pay much mind to on my first listen, however upon subsequent listens my affection for them seems to grow each time.

Catfish deals with the phenomenon (known by its internet-popularised colloquialism) of somebody pretending to be somebody they’re not with the intention of extorting money/goods from somebody else. Whereas Smithereens finds itself utilising a wealth of metaphor and simile to allude to the chaos that people can bring – both intentional and unintentional – into our lives.

Interestingly, for this album The Murlocs decide the second to last track should be an instrumental (a first for the band). Titled Forbidden Toad, it is a largely forgettable cut. Despite being a decent enough instrumental on its own merits, I couldn’t help but feel like it was just missing that extra flair that makes all the other songs on this album really shine.

The closer for this LP is the short and sharp (2 minutes and 44 seconds long) tune Aletophyte. Named for “weedy plants growing on the roadside or in fields where natural vegetation has been disrupted by humans” (yes, I had to look it up), it features classic slap-back vocals, cowboy ballad guitars, organ-like synths and a driving rhythm that just leaves you wanting more.

Calm Ya Farm is another solid notch in the belt and once again proof that The Murlocs are far from running out of fresh ideas and are still making incredible, enjoyable music. Ambrose has once again reached new heights in regards to his songwriting, and it would seem there is plenty of fuel left on the Uncle Murl express, and it’s a train I look forward to riding to the very end.