Right from the get-go punch of Vanishing Act, all the way through to the panoramic sweep of Your Kind Of World, The On and Ons have created another classic. Equal parts pop group and rock’n’roll band, they bring their greatest songs, their most swingin’ performances and more hooks than a tackle box to this record. It’ll make you want to run. Really fast. It’ll make you feel the best you ever have. It’s The On and Ons, and they’re Back For More! - Mark Mulligan

Back For More is The On and Ons new 12-track album on Citadel Records. It follows on from the band’s well received previous releases - “Calling” (2015), “Welcome Aboard” (2017), and “Menacing Smile” - (mini-album 2020). The songs are written by Glenn Morris (lead vocals/guitar) and the band is rounded out with his brother Brian Morris on drums/vocals, and Clyde Bramley (bass/vocals). These guys have had plenty of past experience with bands like Kings of the Sun, Paul Collins Beat, and Hoodoo Gurus.

Expect guitars, hooks, melodies, and harmonies! File under Rock or Power Pop if you will.

Here’s what Mark Mulligan had to say in the liner notes:

I still struggle to explain why, but it happens every time. Last year, during lockdown, I was listening distractedly to a bunch of my favourite tunes from recent years. Several numbers in, a song came on that immediately snapped me out of my COVID torpor. I began to nod my head, play air guitar, bang an invisible drum kit. It made me want to run. Really fast. It was the best feeling. It was The On and Ons.

I stopped listening to the playlist and put on my vinyl copy of Welcome Aboard, their 2017 classic. It happened again. This was the cause of my visceral Pavlovian response. Song after song of pure pop joy, rock’n’roll drive and harmonic bliss.

Well, I’m happy to report that the album you’ve just purchased, Back For More, is their best release to date. The songs are the big stars. They’re as strong as any that Glenn Morris (lead vocals, guitar) has written, but the development of his songcraft on this album truly advances the evolution of The On and Ons, like he’s a rock’n’roll Charles Darwin!

Of course, the tunes mean nothing without the power of the band hooking in hard to the variety of grooves on Back For More. Clyde Bramley (bass, vocals) and Brian Morris (drums, vocals) lock in like the front gate to Fort Knox, with Glenn’s guitar alternately chopping and gliding across the bedrock they create.  

Glenn’s voice is as affecting as ever, but the big revelation right across this record are the glorious harmonies. The lads sound like they’re channelling a classic ‘60s harmony band. But, hey, this is just these three palookas in the studio, oohing and aahing across the already melody-rich tracks. At times, you have to remind yourself that it’s just Glenn, Clyde and Brian making this celestial noise. A lot of the credit for this feat must also go to the production of the record which has been handled, once again, by Clyde and Glenn.  

Right from the get-go punch of Vanishing Act, all the way through to the panoramic sweep of Your Kind Of World, The On and Ons have created another classic. Equal parts pop group and rock’n’roll band, they bring their greatest songs, their most swingin’ performances and more hooks than a tackle box to this record. It’ll make you want to run. Really fast. It’ll make you feel the best you ever have. It’s The On and Ons, and they’re Back For More!

Mark Mulligan, Sydney, 2021

Available to buy from:

Citadel Mail Order: https://www.citadelmailorder.com/jsp/cmos/discs/on_and_ons_back_for_more.html

Direct from the band: http://theonandons.bandcamp.com