Tracer: Water For Thirsty Dogs

Aussies return with fan-funded third album.

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Back in 2012, Tracer skipped off into the sunset clutching the Classic Rock best new band award, having impressed with their taut take on the grunge and stoner rock they grew up with.

Those flavours remain – the shameless radio-rocker Homeward Bound screams 1994 from the top of its plaid-wrapped lungs – but they seem to be embracing their Australian-ness more than ever. ‘Baby I will never change for anyone,’ yells frontman Michael Brown in Halfway To Zero, dragging an AC/DC attitude across the footsteps of Soundgarden.

Unfortunately, Water For Thirsty Dogs often leans uncomfortably close to tribute act territory, relying on cliché, and as such it lacks that spark of personality and ingenuity you find when bands are truly comfortable in their own skin. But as a love-letter to the 90s it’s done its job solidly if unspectacularly.

Classic Rock 214: New albums M-Z

Emma Johnston

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.