All Her Plans

If anger really is an energy, Cable Ties’ third album could power a small city. You can feel the fury in vocalist/guitarist Jenny McKechnie’s taut, tendon-snapping riffs and the Krautrock-inspired rhythmic pummeling of bassist Nick Brown and drummer Shauna Boyle. McKechnie’s razor-sharp vocals and lyrics are especially cutting, as she rails against deficiencies in the health care system when treating those with addiction and mental health issues (“Perfect Client”), the shortcomings of the justice and welfare systems (“Silos”), and the fight to survive and overcome patriarchal trauma (“Change”). Elsewhere, themes of mental health are further explored on “Thoughts Back,” which features Boyle on vocals, while the tender “Mum’s Caravan” addresses the personal sacrifices McKechnie’s mother has made in order to care for others. Respite from the anger and frustration comes in the shape of “Time for You”—McKechnie singing of the safety and security she feels with her partner, even when the rest of her life is in a state of flux.

While Cable Ties have consistently displayed ambition in terms of instrumentation, with All Her Plans they more seamlessly absorb prog and avant templates, reconfiguring them to work within a punk setting.

Melbourne trio Cable Ties harness their rage once again on third album 'All Her Plans', but make room for tenderness. Read the NME review

Jenny McKechnie, the leader of Melbourne, Australia's Cable Ties, clearly falls into the latter category, though on the band's third album, 2023's All Her Plans, she knows how to fill her songs with a fire and righteous fury that makes her messages as exciting as they are thought provoking.

After relentless teeth-cutting on the Australian scene since their genesis in 2015, Cable Ties have asserted their place as a serious frontrunner in the