The Sinclairs is Mr Rat Scabies and Mr Billy Shinbone, making easy listening much more difficult.

Dirty River (feat. Emily Breeze) / ...And Garnish With A Fresh Tarantula is a limited-edition 7-inch release from The Sinclairs, the long-running collaboration between Rat Scabies—legendary drummer of The Damned—and multi-instrumentalist Billy Shinbone. Pressed in a strictly limited run of 500 copies, this twin-track single distills the duo’s eccentric, genre-warping approach into two sharply contrasting yet equally distinctive compositions that reflect their shared history in punk, psychedelic pop, and experimental rock.

The partnership between Scabies and Shinbone dates back to the 1990s, when Shinbone’s band Flipron entered Scabies’ studio with modest ambitions and unexpectedly forged a long-term creative relationship. Over the years, that collaboration evolved into The Sinclairs, a project defined by its refusal to adhere to conventional genre boundaries. Their previous albums—Sparkle (2020) and The Long Slow Death Of A Cigarette (2023)—featured an eclectic mix of psychedelic textures, surf-inflected punk, electronic experimentation, and a rotating cast of notable collaborators including members of Black Lips, The Cramps, The 5,6,7,8’s, and actor Kevin Eldon.

On this release, Side A’s “Dirty River” introduces guest vocalist Emily Breeze, whose glam-pop sensibility adds a dramatic, noir-tinged dimension to the track’s swirling, apocalyptic atmosphere. The song blends murky, swampy textures with melodic hooks, creating a hypnotic and slightly unhinged sonic landscape that balances accessibility with experimental edge. In contrast, Side B’s “…And Garnish With A Fresh Tarantula” strips away vocals entirely, delivering a punk-charged surf instrumental driven by fuzzed-out guitar tones and kinetic energy. The track leans into the duo’s more abrasive tendencies, offering a raw, high-voltage counterpoint to the A-side’s layered composition.

As with much of The Sinclairs’ output, the release thrives on juxtaposition—melding elements of glam, surf, punk, and psychedelic rock into a cohesive yet unpredictable listening experience. It reflects both musicians’ deep roots in underground and alternative scenes while maintaining a sense of playful irreverence and experimentation. For collectors and fans of boundary-pushing punk-adjacent music, this 7-inch stands as a compact but potent example of The Sinclairs’ distinctive approach: unconventional, texturally rich, and unapologetically idiosyncratic.

Media

Additional Details

Label: Spinout Nuggets

Genre: Alternative/Punk

Language: English

Run Time: 6:03 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/04/26

UPC: 5065023242566