King Stingray’s ‘Hey Wanhaka’ Is An Instant Surf Rock Classic

King Stingray. Photo supplied.

Hailing from Yirrkala North-East Arnhem Land, King Stingray are making surf rock like you’ve never heard it before. Their debut track Hey Wanhaka is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. Every note carries an energy that most bands spend a lifetime trying to find. At some point in this review, I’m going to run out of superlatives to describe this track. Let’s see how we go.

The band is a result of a lifelong friendship. Getting to know each other in the Yothu Yindi tour entourage as toddlers, to being members of Yothu Yindi, Yirrnga Yunupingu and Roy Kellaway are combining surf rock and Yolgnu rock. In many ways, they’re the next generation of Yothu Yindi - they describe themselves as the “children” of the band.

There’s genuinely something for everyone on this track. The electric guitar licks are captivating, and Yirrnga’s vocals are ready for a stadium. If Queens Of The Stone Age and the Arctic Monkeys circa Favourite Worst Nightmare were a couple of lads from Arnhem Land, then you’d get close to the sound of Hey Wanhaka.

Most songs have a hook/something to get you to hit the replay button. Music is designed to be played again, and again. However, with Hey Wanhaka, you don’t just want to replay it. You feel compelled to have another listen. It’s a love song, with “wanhaka” meaning “where you going”. Yirrnga found love in the city, and he’s asking his love to come live in his hometown of Yirrkala. How could they say no?

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Check out Hey Wanhaka below. The song drops everywhere on Wednesday 14th October, but until then, you can check out the Unearthed embed below. I don’t say this lightly, but this song has all the makings of a huge, huge track. Listen to it, and soak it in. You’ll be hearing a lot more from this band.