Saurian – Helicopter Hat (2025)
Saurian is a hard rock band from Dunedin, New Zealand, that has certainly kept busy over the last year. In 2024, they released an EP Bled Dry with five well-crafted tracks that captured the essence of the band’s sound, a driving rhythm section that lays down the rock solid foundation for frontman Karl Brinsdon’s melodies and guitar solos. For those who have the band’s gritty, distorted guitars and pounding drums still in their heads and want more, the band just released a new single, ‘Helicopter Hat’.
In one minute and forty-two seconds, Saurian disavows everything on Bled Dry in favour of a bashing and thrashing song that can only be described as punk, bracketed by Logan Wichman’s deliberately campy Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation. If ever a band wanted to leave listeners with a big question mark over their heads, Saurian certainly did it. But as it turns out, there’s an explanation for this.
At some point, a salty fan suggested that the band was not “punk enough” (as if that was ever a requirement). Undeterred by arbitrary demands, the band proceeded to make the punkest punk song they could think of and out came ‘Helicopter Hat’. Still not sure how Arnie fits into this, but there you have it. Kat Haque (rhythm guitar), Logan Wichman (bass), and Josh Tuiavii (drums) carry the song along at breakneck pace through a simple three-chord progression while Brinsdon shouts nearly indecipherable words (what could be more punk than that?). About the only thing we picked up was “Rock is dead. That’s what he said.” Maybe he’s referring to the salty fan? Anyway, the song is broken up by a descending riff that might have been a chorus in another life, and, yeah, that’s pretty much it.
‘Helicopter Hat’ feels and sounds exactly the way you think it would. Someone challenged the band, and the band responded. Good for them. They certainly establish their ability to go punk if they need to, but do they really need to? No judgment here, truly, but even with the background, it seems like an odd thing to toss out as a single. Back in the day, ‘Helicopter Hat’ would have made a fun B-side, though. So, in that spirit, ‘Helicopter Hat’ is out in the wind for punks everywhere.
Along with the single, Saurian released a music video for ‘Helicopter Hat’. You can view it below or on their YouTube channel.
Find out more about Saurian on their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
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