B-Side Guys

A band that describes their sound as “uniquely derivative” either possesses remarkable self-awareness or a death wish for music critics. New Art Society, emerging from Melbourne’s “toilet circuit,” demonstrates they have plenty of the former on “George Best,” a crystalline slice of guitar pop that turns personal confession into universal resonance.

The bright telecaster tones cut through any pretense of indie rock obscurity, creating a deceptively upbeat backdrop for lyrics that dive deep into unspoken truths. “Some things I can’t explain/Like why it has to be this way” opens a narrative that becomes increasingly more specific and vulnerable as the track progresses.

This tension between the bouncing instrumentation and weighty subject matter serves the song’s themes perfectly. When the chorus hits with “I got all these things/I don’t know how to say to you,” the contrast between the hook’s catchiness and its content mirrors the disconnect between external presentation and internal struggle.

The production maintains a deliberate simplicity that feels earned rather than affected. Each element – from the driving rhythm section to those jangling telecaster lines – serves the song’s emotional arc. By the time we reach “Maybe I should say I’m gay/Well I tried to tell you that yesterday,” the arrangement’s straightforward approach amplifies rather than undermines the revelation’s impact.

For a band that spent lockdown crafting an album they claim was “released to complete obscurity and irrelevance,” New Art Society displays remarkable clarity about what makes indie rock connect. “George Best” suggests their mission to “Make Indie Rock Great Again” might be less tongue-in-cheek than their press materials suggest – they just happen to be doing it by stripping away the genre’s pretensions rather than reinforcing them.