Brisbane’s Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have been making an epic blues racket since 2018, and they’re back at it with a brand new single, ‘Leaders’.

Having releases a string of singles in 2019 and 2020, followed by their debut album, ‘Against the Tide’ in 2021, the trio have really started to place their stamp as a staple in the Australian Rock & Roll scene.

Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers headed to the acclaimed Alchemix Studios in South Brisbane to lay down this track, with Erik Williamson engineering, and mixing duties from Nell Forster at the Moon Room in Salisbury (Brisbane). Mastering duties were handed to Matthew Grey (Matthew Grey Mastering).

With ‘Leaders’, Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers point the finger at the purveyors of pious falsities, soaked in bourbon and sweat, and lit on fire, making for smokin’ gospel-tinged southern blues. The simplicity and rawness of ‘Leaders’ is key; from the hand-clapped & kick drum rhythm and smokey vocals of the verses, merging into the belting choruses with surf guitar, hammond organs, and blues shuffle, all coming together to an epic dual guitar solo two thirds of the way through. You’d expect this gritty blues belter to be the opening credits track for the next gangland drama to stream.

Lead singer and guitarist, Thom Harrison, revealed the songs’ inception came from listening to a collection of old blues songs called ‘Sacred Roots Of The Blues’, released by Bluebird. “I was driving and a hand clapping bluesy melody came into my head, so I pulled over and recorded what became the intro of the song,” he said.

“I wanted to take a gospel song and flip the narrative to show a darker side. Lyrically, the song conjures a church sermon detailing how so-called leaders look down on others with judgment."

Harrison further developed the song with a nod to nefarious American cult leaders and televangelists like Robert Tilton and Jim Jones of the Jonestown massacre.

Well-known for their high energy shows with mixes of 60s surf pop, blues and spaghetti western sounds, the boys have become a mainstay across local crowds. Their debut album featured two songs on 4ZZZ hottest 100 in 2021 & 2022.

They have performed regularly in many of Brisbane’s most loved venues, as well as a string of festivals, such as Mitchell Creek Rock N Blues Fest, the Gold Coast Show, Tide: Redlands Coast Islands Festival, Mackay Beach Sounds Music Festival, and headlining the Boney Mountain Festival. Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have a lot of plans for 2023, so make sure you follow on the socials to keep up to date!

‘Leaders’ is out now on all streaming platforms, along with an accompanying music video.

Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers will be launching ‘Leaders’ on April 22 at Norton Music Factory (Caloundra), and at It’s Still a Secret (Brisbane) on April 28.