Neatly sidestepping the Moroder rehashing of the recent disco revival, World’s End Press look instead to the bygone revelry of daggy Brits like Happy Mondays and Big Audio Dynamite. The Melbourne quartet has already bounced between a few styles in its short existence, finally striking upon an old-school foundation of pop-forged dance music. Effortlessly light on its feet, ‘Only The Brave’ harkens back to a time when a well-placed bass or keyboard line was enough to get people moving. But there’s more: couched Chic guitar, near-choral harmonies, a sputtering breakdown, and teasing tickles of percussion. The icing, then, is guitarist John Parkinson’s tranquil vocals, offsetting the urgency of his lyrics come chorus time: “Only the brave survive/So toughen up or die.”

It’s over all too soon, which brings us to the metaphoric flipside: a remix by the band more than doubling the song’s length. It’s more progressive in its approach but very much in line with the original, aside from some diced vocals up front. It’s superior mainly by virtue of lasting longer, though there’s something to be said for what the original achieves in three-and-a-half minutes. ‘Only The Brave’ is the lead single off World’s End Press’ upcoming album, being re-recorded with Qua for release on Love+Mercy. The next single, ‘Golden Child’, is due next month. This is a sterling start, for sure, and a useful reminder about the giddy potential of live bass and drums.

by Doug Wallen