Hoodoo Gurus

Before forming in Sydney in 1981, the members of Hoodoo Gurus had cut their teeth in the Aussie punk trenches, a pedigree that can be felt in the caveman stomp and streetwise swagger of their 1982 debut single, “Leilani.” But just a year later, frontman Dave Faulkner discovered the sweet spot between brooding post-punk and winsome ‘60s-inspired pop on the breakthrough single “My Girl.” That song would form the the centerpiece of the Gurus’ 1984 debut, Stoneage Romeos, which kicked off a stellar four-album run (including Mars Needs Guitars!, Blow Your Cool!, and Magnum Cum Louder) that made them the Kinks of the ’80s college-radio scene, deftly balancing smart, sardonic songwriting with primal jangle-punk thrills. They continued to log Top 20 albums in Australia up to their 1998 dissolution, though that proved to be more a breather than a breakup. Since 2003, Faulkner and guitarist Brad Shepherd have overseen sporadic reunions and releases, and in 2020, the group dropped their first new music in a decade with the deliciously nasty garage-psych groover “Hung Out to Dry.”