Born Sandy Devotional

The Triffids evolved a great deal over their decade-long run, beginning as a humble high-school pursuit for singer/guitarist David McComb and drummer Alan MacDonald in remote Perth, and ending as a multifaceted ensemble still considered deeply influential in the evolution of Australian music. Nowhere is that legacy on deeper display than Born Sandy Devotional, the dark, sweeping 1986 album that remains their landmark release. Their second album followed a formative run of EPs and self-released cassettes which saw them develop into a deep-hearted medium for McComb’s poetic, cinematic songbook. Joined by his brother Robert on violin and guitar from 1979 onward, McComb quickly rose to the ranks of one of Australia’s most celebrated songwriters—a title that stands to this day.

Folding country and folk into outsider strains of post-punk, the songs on Born Sandy Devotional are united by McComb’s deep, spacious singing and keen eye for Australian topography. Even when keyboardist Jill Birt sings eerie lead on “Tarrilup Bridge” against woozy violin and guest vibraphone from The Necks’ Chris Abrahams, the firm sense of place looms as large as any instrument. Then there’s the band’s synth-driven signature tune, “Wide Open Road”—which doubled down on McComb’s favorite theme of wanderlust. With its serene woodwinds, overlapping vocal parts, and Graham Lee’s haunting steel guitar, it’s a stirring sermon about the freedom of unobstructed landscape, culminating in the mantra-like repetition of the title phrase. (It also had enough pop appeal to earn decent chart placement in the UK.)

Even more remarkable is how far the album explores beyond those core ideas. Contrast the lightness of “Estuary Bed” with the chaotic verve of “Chicken Killer” and the nightmarish “Lonely Stretch,” an exaggerated bout of Australian gothic that rivals Nick Cave in sheer wolfishness. The ominous rockabilly throwback “Life of Crime” evokes Chris Isaak, while “Stolen Property” sees McComb strike upon the vocal fervor of a preacher or carnival barker. Then, suddenly the lights come back on for the closing “Tender Is the Night (The Long Fidelity),” a sweet duet between McComb and Birt that paints a timeless image of long-distance romance: “Where you are, it’ll just be getting light.”

Recorded in London with Gil Norton—who became Pixies’ longtime producer soon after—Born Sandy Devotional flexes equal parts quirkiness and conviction. The Triffids may have ended just a few years later, with McComb (who died in 1999) and other members focusing on The Blackeyed Susans and bassist Martyn Casey joining the Bad Seeds, but echoes of this rarefied Australian touchstone can still be felt in bands like The Middle East and The Drones.