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Smart, literate, catchy pop/rock from a band who displays glimpses of influences Elvis Costello, XTC and Talking Heads among others. This 4 piece isn't afraid to explore other musical territories. Domesticated Beast is the long-awaited fourth full-length from Sydney, Australia’s pop-rock adventurers The Nature Strip. The Nature Strip is led by singer-songwriters Pete Marley and John Encarnação and becomes a full live and recording unit with the talents of Matt Langley and Jess Ciampa. Domesticated Beast is the group’s first major statement since 2017’s Beetle Bones, by turns power pop, a bit new wave, occasionally a bit folk rock, and other things besides. This album collects most of the singles the group has dropped over the last two years – John’s taut and funky singalong “Surgery”, Pete’s power pop masterclasses “Sixth Sense” and “Prime Time”, and their hard rockin’ collab “I Cannot Deny You”, for which a stunning clip by Luke Bozzetto has just been released. But there are twelve tracks here, and others include Pete and John’s leftfield collabs “King of Trees” (think pastoral XTC, with a stunning trombone solo by James Greening) and the skewed folk/Americana of “Nerve Endings Fade”. John’s nervy new wave tune “Wavelength” is radio ready, and another earworm is his collab with Lazy Susan/Family Fold star Paul Andrews, “Signature Move”. As usual, the subject matter gives the listener a lot to chew on: the long gestation of the cicada becomes a metaphor in “Prime Time”, while daft fantasies of power charge “The Royal Cannon”. “King of Trees” imagines life from the perspective of a scarecrow, while the guy in “Monday” has been so ghosted he wonders whether his lover actually exists. “Wavelength” runs a gauntlet from initial fascination through brief domesticity to the end of things in 2:20 while “Nerve Endings Fade” dissolves a relationship and nature, bliss and oblivion. Did I mention John’s palette of guitar colours, his pithy and melodic way with lead breaks? How about Jess’s irrepressible drumming, the true, solid south of Pete’s bass playing, Matt’s informed choices on piano and organ? The Nature Strip is a consummate combo, superlative songs given their ultimate form on Domesticated Beast.