Ones2Watch Home

Photo: McLean Stephenson

Sydney-based band Winston Surfshirt have exploded onto the scene over the last year and a half. Gaining notoriety for their innovative performance of 50 Cent's "21 Questions" on Triple J, the six-piece group has gone on to secure a coveted spot at the 2019 edition of one of Australia's premier music festivals, Splendour in the Grass.  On June 14, the group released their second single in the wake of their 2017 album Sponge Cake, "Make a Move," a retro sex jam that's bound to flood the dancefloor.

The engine of "Make A Move" is its spongy bass riffs that sound as if they could be found on a classic Parliament record - the doughy low end is accented by pops and slaps that add a distinct layer of funk to the cool, calm, collected groove. To make things even more steamy, lead singer Winston (from whom the band derives its name) speak-sings the experience of setting your sights on the hottest person in the club during the verse, creating a layer of tension over the track. As the chorus boils over into an infectiously singable hook flanked by sensual falsetto backgrounds, the singer croons, "All I wanna do is see you dancing / I wanna get next to you, don't need no romancing / When you gonna make a move?" Well, Winston, if you keep singing like that... the answer is very soon.

With a sound that draws influence from funk, surf rock, West Coast hip-hop, soul, and disco, it's no wonder that Elton John has dubbed these genre-benders as "his favorite band of the moment." In addition to their other accolades, the Australians' debut single "Be About You" went RIAA-certified gold; if the fact that we can't get it out of our head is anything to go by, it's safe to say "Make a Move" is headed in the same direction. Take a listen here: