Quality Used Cars is a project built around the idiosyncratic songwriting and warbling vocal of Francis Tait and brought to life by a band of hard-working familiar faces from within Narrm’s bubbling underground music communities.
In early 2021, Quality Used Cars released their debut album ‘Good Days/Bad Days’ through Spoilsport Records, putting full focus on Francis’ charismatic storytelling, over a backdrop that blends sunny Australiana with alt-country tenderness and scrappy garage-pop smarts.
Following their head-turning, stand out performance at Boogie 15 in April 2022 and developing a reliable, dedicated fan base,‘The Cars’ dropped the joyously evocative, narrative-driven ‘Me and Damon Drinking Beers at the Grandview Hotel’ and the more subtle, introspective second cut ‘I’ve Never Felt More Alive’, in anticipation of their second album ‘Quality of Life’, to be released mid 2023 through Spoilsport Records.
“I felt like Good Days/Bad Days got a little bit sad and in my own head, so I tried to practice a little more optimism when writing this new album. The whole album spirals around the idea of finding yourself in the world and being content with where and who you are, and this song feels like a centrepiece to all of that for me.” - Francis Tait
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“Over these past few years I think I’ve become so used to the paired-down Aussie sound that entering the fertile ground of ‘Good Days/Bad Days’ is like a cool drink of water after not realizing how parched you’ve become.” - Raven Sings The Blues
“Francis Tait has quietly established himself as one of Melbourne’s most uncanny songwriters.” - Beat Magazine
credits
released August 4, 2023
Francis Tait - Hannah McKittrick - Isobel Caldwell - Ben Leahy - Ryan Leahy
Recorded by Francis Tait at The Caryard
Mixed by Erik Scerba
Mastered by Guy Louis Faletolu
Taped by Winter McQuinn
Photography by James Whiting
Design and layout by James Devlin
Big additional thank yous to Emily Collins, Sam Lyons, James Lynch, Bucket Hansen, Blake Lica, Jim Rindfleish and Jamie-Lee Fanning.
This album was created on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation and we would like to pay our respects to their elders past and present. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
supported by 16 fans who also own “Quality of Life”
Channeling the spirit of the Aussie rock greats that proceeded them like Hunters & Collectors, Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil through their uniquely Australian lyrics that draw your mind to red dust roads and gum tree bushland. Unpretentious jangly guitars and a nice blend of female and male vocals tie it together. Ed Denton
supported by 14 fans who also own “Quality of Life”
It's a truly unique sound that gets under your skin, and the vocals are just incredibly hard hitting and raw, it's literally addictive, I love it! budgetp
“Write The Soil Lighter” is full of beguilingly mysterious folk-adjacent music, shrouded in shadow and atmospherics. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 30, 2023
supported by 11 fans who also own “Quality of Life”
Two great tracks from a band that truly deserves significant attention. Floodlights' sound is both old and new – we've previously heard this style and delivery, but rarely with such grace and direct truthfulness. Michael Reilly