The Melbourne-based one man party machine has set a precedent for the Aussie electronica with his constant presence in the Australian dance music scene and positive party-vibes, delivered through his two successful albums. Muscles’ distinctive sound, one that the BBC calls “a big, warm, cascading flow of electro-popâ€, has won fans across the country, and the world. The effervescent pop of his music is a combination of sweat, shouting and jumping around, offering listeners earnest, open and surreal tales of life, clubbing and romance, best summed up by the man himself, “I just want to get drunk, and party.â€
He released his debut album, "Guns Babes Lemonade", in 2007, receiving across-the-board positive reviews, and gaining fans everywhere. The album and subsequent live shows shot Muscles to dance-music stardom enjoying unanimous success, especially for the hit tracks ‘Ice Cream’, ‘Sweaty’ and ‘Hey Muscles, I Love You’. The album was a staple for the Australian electronica scene and made waves overseas attracting the attention of trend-makers Pitchfork, who awarded the album an 8.3. BBC called the album “appealing to anyone bored with the too-cool-for-school posturing of Muscles' bigger city peers.†Both ‘Ice Cream’ and ‘Sweaty’ made it into the Triple J Hottest 100, at #14 and #76 respectively, as well as the acoustic rendition of ‘Ice Cream’ reaching #45 the following year - the only song to ever appear in Triple J's Hottest 100 twice in successive years.
Muscles maintains an extensive tour schedule, even breaking sales records for an emerging artist for his 14-show sold-out 2008 tour. As well as performing his own material, Muscles is a frequent DJ, performing headline sets as well as support slots for huge international acts, like Girl Talk, Hot Chip, and Soulwax.
After his debut, Muscles took his time between albums, during which he travelled, played shows and saw the world. His experiences meeting “fun and weird people†and the chaotic craziness of travel led to the inspiration behind his second album.
In 2012, Muscles released the follow-up to his debut with "Manhood", 12 songs full of the same energy and electro buzz as the first. The album was a concept album exploring the ideas of growing up and the stages of life that a man passes through, yet still described as a "really sexy little dance album". The album was received by critics as a successful follow-up to "Guns Babes Lemonade".
Muscles brings throbbing, fist-pumping party vibes with him to every show, as such, he is no stranger to hard partying. Where on the first show of his 2012 Manhood tour, he launched himself off a podium that he was dancing on, only to crash into the crowd and damage his ribs. However, he continued on with the tour, taking his party approach to his recovery, and in his words, he just “raved the pain awayâ€.
Muscles is currently in the process of writing and recording collaborations with artists on new tracks set for 2015 release.