Australian band Amyl and the Sniffers has had a steady rise to punk rock stardom since their debut LP in 2019. Their most recent release was Cartoon Darkness in 2024, which saw them hosting global gigs and earning praise from the likes of Billy Corgan and Karen O.
The four-piece—vocalist Amy Taylor, drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Mehrtens, and bassist Gus Romer—has grit, heart, attitude, and, generally, a bone to pick. They also have great taste, demonstrating their music knowledge in a 2024 interview with The Guardian.
In a series of questions answered by Declan Mehrtens, the band shared the songs that represent all their personal nuances of life. This included the best year in music. A lofty question, and Mehrtens not only answered but showed his work.
“1980,” said Mehrtens with no hesitation. “‘Hells Bells’ by AC/DC; ‘Ace of Spades’ by Motörhead; ‘Hungry Heart’ by Bruce Springsteen; ‘Magnificent Seven’ by the Clash; and ‘Could You Be Loved’ by Bob Marley.”
Easy-peasy for Amyl and the Sniffers, whose influences range from “Crowded House soft rock” to Australian whistler Molly Lewis. They even channeled Daft Punk on the album closer “Me and the Girls.” Although, according to Mehrtens, they had to add a vocoder to that song because it “sounded too much like Boney M.” Amyl and the Sniffers may be a lot of things, but they’re not looking to be the second coming of “Rasputin,” apparently.
Amyl and the Sniffers share their favorite songs for housecleaning, karaoke, and more
The other rapid-fire questions ranged from music for mundane chores to self-care to a rowdy night out. Answers ranged all over the genre spectrum, giving fans a peek behind the curtain of the band’s interests.
“I like cleaning to Laurel Canyon stuff, and Americana,” said Mehrtens when asked about music for housecleaning. “Gene Clark’s No Other is a great album to ease the mood and allow yourself to reconnect with the space you live in.”
For a song they wish they wrote, there was only one answer: “‘Don’t Dream it’s Over ‘by Crowded House.” They called themselves out by answering “Monsoon Rock” when asked for a song they wish they hadn’t written.
While it’s not clear why “Monsoon Rock” got the boot, Amyl and the Sniffers described it in 2019 as a song “to rage to and celebrating good gigs/live music.” According to the band, “we wrote it around the time of Gizzfest 2017 when it was pissing down with rain but everybody still got into it, just muddier and wetter and real feral.”
Other highlights include Mehrtens’ go-to karaoke song (“‘Khe Sanh’ by Cold Chisel if I’m in Australia, otherwise ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ by Oasis”); an underrated song that deserves to be a classic (“‘Many Men (Wish Death)’ by 50 Cent”); and a classic that deserves to be stripped of that title (“‘Layla’ by Derek and the Dominos”).
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella
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