Musicians Maxine Harman and Marty Xenoff make up the base for the Australian rock band The On Fires, who have split their time over the past few years on the road between their home area of Australia and Europe, where they are developing a following. In concert, the band’s sound is created by Maxine Harman and Marty Xenoff with Glock Smithson on bass and Dev Baxter on drums, and are known for their explosive stage show.
With two continents covered, The On Fires were ready to spread to North America, and released Betrayer to propel their arrival in the US. Adding Naomi Brockenshire on bass and Simon Newberry on drums for their studio work, this combination of musicians helped bring just the right amount of energy to the band’s songs. The style of The On Fires seems to simultaneously incorporate the old styles of rock ‘n’ roll and the new styles of today’s bands. At times, they seem to fit in more with today’s bands that can be found on current radio formats, with a punk/glam feel to their music at others.
“Coming Home” kicks off Betrayer, an upbeat track that combines the feeling of punk rock with just a little bit of the off-kilter style of Devo, while “Hanging With The Living” feels like a nod to the sixties’ bands that were creating the straight-out rock of the time.
“Precious Injury” suggests a cross between The Motels and Duran Duran. The style here brings to mind these two bands before they were both “commercialized” by their respective record labels. The song sounds like it belongs on college radio back in the ‘eighties.
With the song “Melancholy,” the listener gets to experience, for the first time on this album, the beautiful voice of Maxine as she takes the lead on this track. The piano-driven tune, coupled with the strings on this track, brings to mind a song written in the style of Queen, while “Without” lets their modern-day influences shine through with the flavor of Coldplay and Stereophonics.
Betrayer is a solid fifteen-song collection. Each song on the album has something different to offer the listener, and this makes it a joy to listen to. It draws you in and keeps you interested to hear what else the band has to offer. Maxine Harman and Marty Xenoff are a fine writing team, and paired with their additional studio and stage musicians, The On Fires is definitely worth checking out.
Review by Matheson Kamin
