WILDFIRE MANWUURK, the homegrown rock outfit formed out of Maningrida, Arnhem Land, released their new EP 'The Next Future' on Friday.
Inspired by other local bands such as Maningrida Band, Letterstick Band, and Sunrise Band, Victor Rostron and his family formed WILDFIRE MANWUURK and their music has been spreading like wildfire.
'The Next Future' is a melting pot of thrashing guitars and traditional songlines from ancient times.
WILDFIRE MANWURRK share stories they face as men in a world of culture, chaos and change.
Lead singer Victor Rostron said this EP is special and will make a positive impact on his family and the community.
"The album, it's really special for Countrymen, especially Kune, Kuninjku, Rembarrnga, Dalabon,"
"We have been waiting for years. It's really exciting. It's going to be big change for this family. People will be proud. The songs are about our landscape and how to care for country."
There's also a little bit of love song there, about the fire never going out, a song about Don't Smoke near children and a song about suicide. We wrote these stories about our lifestyle, our home, our community and our people"
According to the group, 'The Next' Future' is "literally thousands of years in the making". Even though the EP was recorded during the pandemic, it didn't stop the group from travelling interstate to Mullumbimby (Eora) to record at Nowave Studios with James Boundy of the Dune Rats.
"We have had good communication and good people wanting to help us learn and excited to work with us.They are the right mob and right tools for us mob," Rostron said.
"There's more there too, more to record, not just music, we need to record our stories on country, our culture, our landscape."
"There's a lot of story right there in our country and we need professional people to work with us to help us with protecting rock art, billabongs, dreaming sites. We need our community to support these recordings."
Sung in the endangered langauge Kune, the lead single 'Mararradj' delivers a robust and booming tale delivered by Victor rostron.
"Mararradj means, a love that can never die. It's like a fire burning that will never go out," say's Victor of the song.
"It's not about me, that song, it's about everyone. It's about boyfriend and girlfriend going though break up, having argument, jealous talking, but then something tells you, you want to get that love back. You want to be sitting down together again. It's because of Mararradj. It never finishes, it's an unbreakable love," he adds.
The themes and topics never run short with 'The Next Future' EP. Rostron noted he wants the EP to prove to other Bininj mob that they can do it too.
"Be Independent, not give up control. One day we want Bininj mob to come up to our music studio, if we have one, and start sharing ideas," Rostron said.
"We can learn how to do all the things for ourself like, understanding money side and music business. We have good mentors and good community around us to help us learn, but it is up to us to steer our journey."
The NIT asked WILDFIRE MANWURRK what advice they have to the Indigneous youth looking to follow in their footsteps.
Rostron said to "Never give up! Believe in yourself, you can be a leader and a mentor."
"Always be respectful. Disrespect is like a boomerang, it will always come back to you."
People will criticise your band, criticise you too, you might get backstabbing, jealousy, but ignore those bad things, they will realise in the long term what you are doing for your people and your community."
The Next Future track list
1. Don't Smoke
2. Ranger Boat
3. Mararradj
4. Thinking
5. Lonely Bangardi
6. Yawk Yawk
WILDFIRE MANWURRK are:
Sires Rostron - Lead Singer / Lead Guitar
Johnson Rostron - Lead Singer / Bass
Scott Cameron - Backing Singer / Drums
Ernest Rostron - Rhythm Guitar
Leo Rostron - Rhythm Guitar
Victor Rostron - Lead Singer / Didgeridoo (Morle) / Clapsticks
