Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me! are a genius combination of sublime songwriting, good hair and matching Fender Mustangs - Aussie Fran Fines on dexies, sipping cheap chardonnay and wielding loud guitars. Their new single ‘Hey Woman’ shows the grittier and punchier side of the best friend duo’s songwriting, with school bully gang vocals recorded around one mic and acoustic guitar sounds ala Ween. From the get-go the track isn’t shy in its anti-capitalist message, directed at single use superficiality, Kardashain culture and the phony housewives and bored husbands of the upper class.  You can still be rich and nice, right??

Starting out with catchy and simple acoustic guitar, the attitude laden first verse gets straight to the point, asking “Hey woman! What you gonna do with that fancy car when you are dead?”  The ‘nah nah nah’ gang vocals are whiney enough to imagine the characters clear as day, and nostalgic enough to be able to sing along to immediately. The recurring breakdown steps down slightly with cutesy mean girl rap lyrics sung by bassist Esther Henderson, and we’re taken out by the sing-a-long lyric and melody “too many dollars and not enough sense”.

Of the track, the band says, “Hey Woman is basically a big fuck you to rich housewives who live in a bubble of pretty things, low-fat lattes, status anxiety, big cars and cappo husbands. We’re saying, what are you gonna do with all your fancy stuff when you die? Cos you can’t take it all through the pearly gates. Don’t get us wrong, we love beautiful things and we love making money. We’re just trying to say, don’t misplace your manners inside that giant Gucci handbag, whoever you are. You can be rich without being a douchebag, right?

The soon-to-be-cult Melbourne outfit is made up of best friends Nitida Atkinson (vocals and guitar) and Esther Henderson (vocals and bass) with Myka Wallace on drums rounding out the punchy live sound.

Hey Woman is released everywhere on Thursday 29th February, 2024.

Don't Thank Me Spank Me! - Hey Woman

Don’t Thank Me, Spank Me! are a genius combination of sublime songwriting, good hair and matching Fender Mustangs - Aussie Fran Fines on dexies, sipping cheap chardonnay and wielding loud guitars. The soon-to-be cult Melbourne outfit is made up of best friends Nitida Atkinson (vocals and guitar) and Esther Henderson (vocals and bass).


Their self-titled debut album packs a punch. “This album is basically a love affair between our greatest musical influences. We love girl bands from the 70s like the Runaways and the Slits for their attitude and badass-ery and girl power. We love the crass 80s pop/rock aesthetic. We love 90s RnB. We loved Britney Spears with all our hearts! And of course we couldn’t make an album without our parents’ taste in music creeping in - you can hear some real ELO moments and Cate Ceberano themes going on.”


The album’s themes speak to the duo’s experience as women moving through the world. “Life is confusing. Sometimes we wanna eat the rich, sometimes we wanna be the rich, sometimes we wanna make-out with someone cute, sometimes we wanna slow-dance around the room like our grandparents did, sometimes we wanna be good, and sometimes we just wanna be bad.”

The opening track ‘Sandy’ is an ode to archetypal good-girl gone bad, Sandra D. This quirky disco banger wields gritty guitar hooks, catchy harmonies and spitfire rap lyrics. RnB inspired ‘Dollars and Cents’ embraces the ‘gold diggers in need of a goldmine’ trope, featuring tight vocal harmonies, chunky funk guitar and a groove that sits right at the bottom of a cashed up cowboy’s deepest pocket. At the other end of the spectrum, ‘Hey Woman’ flexes the band’s garage sass, with un-precious vocals and acoustic guitars, raging against the desperate housewives and bored husbands of Prahran.

Don’t Thank Me Spank Me! co-produced their album with the help of Henry Jenkins (Mo’Ju), Hudson Whitlock (Karate Boogaloo), Myka Wallace and Jules Pascoe with Casey Rice on mix duties. The self titled debut album is set for release within the first half of 2024.

Don't Thank Me Spank Me! - Be My Forever

Hopefully this song makes you wanna go and jump in the nearest shopping trolley with your bestie and ding up all the Porsche Cayenne SUVs in your neighbourhood.

Hey Woman is basically a big fuck you to rich housewives who live in a bubble of pretty things, low-fat lattes, status anxiety, big cars and cappo husbands. We’re saying, what are you gonna do with all your fancy stuff when you die? Cos you can’t take it all through the pearly gates. Don’t get us wrong we love beautiful things and we love moneyyyyyy but don’t misplace your manners inside that giant Gucci handbag, lady. You can be rich without being a dick.

This track comes off an album set for release early June. You 'erd!

Nitida Atkinson - vocals and guitar
Esther Henderson - vocals and bass
Myka Wallace - drums and tambourine
Beds engineered by Henry Jenkins
Vocals engineered by Jules Pascoe
Overdubs engineered by DTMSM
Co-produced by DTMSM, Myka Wallace, Henry Jenkins & Hudson Whitlock
Mixed by Casey Rice
Mastered by Joe Carra at Crystal Mastering

Don't Thank Me Spank Me! - Be My Forever

Don't Thank Me, Spank Me!

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