Blistering raw punk from Perth, Western Australia with unexpected, unexplained bursts of both overloaded guitar noise and ’80’s college rock’ melody. Was often compared with Land Speed Record-era Husker Du. On Vertex Records. If you’re in Perth you should be able to find it at Dada Records, I should hope. Otherwise email vertexaudio@gmail.com for a copy, or check out his webstore. If you are in Europe you could buy it from HERE.

The various members of Burning Sensation have been and are involved in such bands as Rank/Xerox, Frank & The Can I Speaklys, Golden Staph, Jaws, Clever Species, Whalehammer, Orgy of the Undead, Rat Columns, etc.

A review from Still Single;

‘Excellent, self-hating hardcore from Perth (“the guitars that killed Perth”), with a touch of Reatard-style pop reflection and a slug at Agent Orange/Wipers style paranoia in between. This comes from guitarist David West, who also sent in the Rat Columns cassette and who plays guitar in Rank/Xerox, or whatever they’re gonna be called now that they’ve been stripped of their name. But to the matter at hand: this record is a fuckin’ ripper for sure, lifting fingernails from their beds with first-person lunacy (opener “I Hate Erections” is met after not too long with one called “I Chopped It Off” – both automatic winners of Song Titles of the Year, with runners up being “I Feel Disgust” and of course “Brainfucker”), and the attention to dingy, period-appropriate sound – probably a rush job, but it sounds GREAT – throws a lot of heat from their direction. I put this on twice in a row with little hesitation. Everyone should have a copy for the day when you will really want something this angry around for sympathy. I’m lending this to my friend who can’t seem to let go of his last relationship in the hopes that he’ll snap out of it. ‘

Another review, from Yellow Green Red;

‘Utterly raging LP from this defunct Australian/American group, the type of easily-missed hardcore gem that’s sure to become a want-list staple ten years from now. I’m probably not getting all the details right, but the main Rank/Xerox guy lived in Perth for a while, and did this band with a couple friends, at least until they all moved to various states or countries. It’s a shame that Burning Sensation isn’t an ongoing concern, but wildly combustible hardcore punk like this never lasts too long… Burning Sensationis filled with speedy fits of greatness that rival Neos (who only really lasted for a couple of 7″s themselves). From the Rank/Xerox affiliation, I was expecting something arty or noisy or different in some way, but Burning Sensation just drill through half-minute hardcore tunes in the style of Kill For Christ by The FU’s or Jonah Falco’s recent Mad Men project. And in the midst of their blur, there’s a deep-rooted melody, or at least some sort of catchiness, that lifts Burning Sensation into “must own” territory, even for discerning punkers who have reduced their monthly intake from twenty new records to five. Who wouldn’t want a chance to add “I Fear Erections” to their next mixtape?’

Another review, from April’s Maximum Rock’n’Roll;

‘This listens like some obscure melodic hardcore demo from ’83 seeing vinyl treatment for the first time, after being given a proper mastering job – possibly due to the rich guitar tone and slightly hazy/dreamy recording. Most of this record is furious, speedy hardcore that incorporates earnest melody the same way that Husker Du did on their Land Speed Record material. The slower songs on here offer up bleak but defiant melodies, while the song ‘I Wonder’ sounds like what the terms ‘alternative rock’ or ‘college rock’ originally described. It doesn’t seem to me like these songs necessarily flow as an album, but they’re eclectic and varied enough that the LP holds my interest all the way through. (DG)’

Another review, from Razorcake;

‘Whoa!!! Such a great record!! Starts off as a standard hardcore record. The first few songs are short and thrashy numbers. Then, they switch things up with “Weeping Wound”. Still lightening fast, but more tuneful. Reminds me of early Wipers crossed with The Proletariat. Not shabby at all. In fact, I hear a lot of The Proletariat in their sound. Not a direct copy, but the influence is there in the atmospheric sound, and vocal delivery. “Kitchen Knife” has a post punk beginning before ripping into a straight up thrash killer. Stop-go tempos, fast and chaotic, and urgent. “I Wonder” is a definite stand out. Very tuneful, mid tempo, and a bit different compared to the rest of the tracks. A bit power pop, yet they don’t miss a beat between the more punk songs. If anything, the contrasting styles only serve to strengthen one another. A record you would be wise to be pick up, play repeatedly, and have a smidge more class than most everyone else as a result. -M.Avrg (Vertex,vertexaudio@gmail.com) ‘

Another review, from Euro distributor Don’t Buy Records;

‘This three piece hail from the land down under. They’re from Perth which I’ve seen being labeled as the most depressing town in all of Oz on several occassions. Although I’ve never visited the city myself, listening to the twelve tunes on this 12” sure gives the impression that Perth is the breeding ground for depression, frustration and resent. Burning Sensation play melodic hardcore that gets compared to early Hüsker Dü a lot and although I try to keep my comparisons to classic bands on as low a level as possible the influence here is undeniable. The guitar sound is agressive and scathing and all these songs have the urgency of the Hüskers’ ‘Landspeed Record’, which a friend of mine once labeled as the musical equivalent of one long line of speed. Quite a few songs on this record are fast as hell. Others are a bit slower and incorporate more melody. The vocals sound desperate and the lyrics sure aren’t optimistic either. Topics such as angst, sexual frustration (gotta love song titles like ‘I fear Erections’ and ‘I Chopped it off’) and depression are covered without mincing matters. The odd song out here is ‘I Wonder’ which I guess one could call Burning Sensation’s radio friendly hit. At first I hated the song, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t that goddamn tune that’s stuck in my head after spinning this record each and every time. This record is bound to be labeled as ‘retro’, but who gives a shit? These guys deliver the goods! From what I understand this is Burning Sensation’s first and last record. That’s good news for you purists out there, because it means the band won’t be selling out or be signing to a lousy label or whatever it is you people care about. ‘

Another review, from Suburban Voice;

‘Aussies Burning Sensation are a hardcore band but they also exhibit some expansiveness in their bare-knuckled approach. A healthy dose of X-Claim/Boston hardcore fused to a Zeke-ish beat (no rawk, though). What’s interesting is they’re apparently unfamiliar with the early Boston fodder. Whether that’s true or not, the songs have a straight-forward energy but there are diversions–“Weeping Wound” has a decidedly west coast punk sound, favoring slashingly melodic guitar with a few surfy trills and “Terminal Decay” follows that blueprint, as well. “I Wonder” also possesses a near-poppy, tuneful pulse with tasteful, surging guitar licks and a supple bass-line. Some diabolical song titles, too–“I Fear Erections,” “I Chopped It Off,” “Wrapped Up In Plastic.” Burning Sensation manage to avoid any sort of thrash ghetto. There’s more at work here and it’s intriguing. ‘

Commentary on the record from DX in his Maximum Rock’n’Roll column;

‘Perth punk band BURNING SENSATION have released a new record called Mummy, What’s a Funkadelic? that successfully careens from Australian punk like the SCIENTISTS and the VICTIMS and American punk like ANGRY SAMOANS to the early DC hardcore of the TEEN IDLES. More reference points could be found in recent bands like FORMALDEHYDE JUNKIES and the recently deceased BLOODCLOT FAGGOTS, but generally we’re talking about music from the past here, close attention paying dividends in songs that suggest more than “we’re a cover band”.

A couple of decades ago I proposed the cognitively advanced theory that sensual and sexual disgust is a prime motivator of good punk and hardcore music, of course, stolen from Lester Bangs study of the Dead Boys and probably a hundred other sources that I would never have bothered to reference or acknowledge then or now seeing as its basically a banal tautology at this point. The discussion was developed in reference to Melbourne’s best current hardcore band called FLESH WORLD, and today BURNING SENSATION assert a series of family friendly sentiments like ‘I Fear Erections’ and ‘I Feel Disgust’ (yeah, obvious) which help to justify my brave stance. It has been proposed elsewhere that their sound can be situated between DEEP WOUND and DINOSAUR JR: just like heaven? Ultimately, much like the modern hardcore and punk love story that is access to all the records all the time, access to all the technology to make records cheaper and easier, the quality of the songs defines the band. BURNING SENSATION have other people’s ideas and other people’s sounds, but they have put thought into their own songs, and this record is, much like BLOODCLOT FAGGOTS, INSURGENTS and FLESH WORLD, a worthy example of Australian hardcore in 2011. Will I listen to it in 2012? Will I listen to it… next week?!’