This is fine.
You may have thought our SXSW interviews were over, but you thought wrong! While most of these bad boys ran prior to last week, I did pick up a couple near the end of the festival. This one comes from Glasgow based group The Ninth Wave, who also appeared on my Top 6 to watch list. Ready for one more? Hit the jump.
As if you thought I’d let Nathan have all the fun with this SXSW interview game, you thought wrong! It’s time for me to start sharing some interviews myself and I’m starting today with one from Auckland based band Swallow the Rat. These guys were kind enough to answer or SXSW band questions and you can find their responses after the jump.
While it may seem like NOV3L are a few years behind the rehash of post-punk angular antics, it’s fair to say at least they do it right…all the way down to the ethos of the genre. They operate as a collective, crafting music crafting clothes crafting art on their own terms from within the confines of a singular house. That all makes sense when you listen to their new single, which is a foot-stomping nostaglic punk nod with social awareness; they seem to be taking on the corporate structures that make us all wage-slaves. They release their new EP this Friday via Flemish Eye Records.
Looking back at SxSW 2018, given this year’s conference is six weeks away (yikes), seeing The Foreign Resort was among the oddest things. Totally random lineup that night on a horrible “stage” in a terrible venue that hopefully will not be used again this year. …but their set was bad ass.
They’ve released the first confirmation that their perfect post-punk formula will be applied on the pending record due April 5th via Artoffact Records. The title track “Outnumbered” is embedded below. As a bonus, you can check out a remix of “Under Bright Neon Stars” by our friends Nite here.
The driving rhythm and the angular guitars, as always, sucked me right into this track from Primitive Lips. It has this heavy vocal quality, almost a resigned indifference, which works in direct contrast to the song’s natural uplifting spirit. It’s almost like the band fancy themselves as the reincarnated Echo and the Bunnymen, only they want to throw a dance party first. You’re stomping your feet, you’re swinging around, but you’re not biting your bottom lip, you’re just staring longingly at the floor. A pretty carefree hit in my opinion; it could use your ears.
Welsh outfit Silent Forum are kicking it with my favorite genre of post-punk; they offer this shuffling danceable guitar pop that’s built to lift your spirits. It’s weird, almost as if the band stole some riffs from U2 and made them cool, throwing in some jittery cymbal work to round out the rhythm section. In doing so, they bring to mind the early days of Bloc Party or maybe even Foals when they were cool; I know that regardless it’s a sound that’s a whole heap of fun on a Monday. We should expect a full length debut from this group in the new year via Libertino.
Perhaps the greatest thing about the Internet is that it has allowed us to reconnect with lost mates, or uncover hidden gems in the music realm…and perhaps that’s what we’re getting with this reissue from Manchester act Vee VV. Below we have one of the band’s earliest singles (1983), offering up a choppy post-punk vibe; I love how the guitar cuts across the bouncing bass line, while that matter of fact vocal delivery is always sharp. It sort of reminds me of pop version of Gang of Four…that is until they start to explore with their musicianship in the song’s latter half, settling back in for a final groove to the close. Like post-punk? Like Factory Records (Tunnelvision and Section 25 in particular)? Then you’ll want to keep an eye on EDILS, as they’ll be handling the band’s reissue in early 2019…but the single is available this week!
Looks to be a busy month for Second Still, with the release of their Part Time Punks EP (Sentimental) and their Equals EP (Weyrd Son) dropping simultaneously on 4/20. Here we have one of the tunes featured on the PTP session; it illustrates precisely why the group’s so captivating, at least in my ears. The first two minutes are spend establishing a somber mood, with an almost industrial percussive movement building the tension ever so slightly. Just after the 2 minute mark, the song swells, distorted guitars ring just a bit louder in the mix and you’re stuck in the band’s musical trance. And if you didn’t realize this is a For Against cover, then shame on you!
It’ll take a second for the throbbing bass to kick in on this number, as Ice Baths dare listeners to turn away with a noisy opening bit. But, hold on and you’ll be tapping your toes as the track pushes you forward. The vocals have this sort of indifference in their delivery, almost as if they’re an afterthought while the guitar chords spring and jangle through the heavier underbelly of the track. Not quite angry, not quite pop…but somewhere in that cavern of in between…that sweet spot we all love. Look for the group’s debut album to drop on May 11th via Blank Editions.
According to the band profile, Document is a post punk band out of Tel Aviv, hence the title. But upon first listen, I got tinges pop jammy fun lying just beneath the surface. I like these kinds of fusion. I also like highlighting music that is being created all over the place, an ATH specialty (I think we all may need to move to Australia or Scandinavia soon based on our current penchant for jams/electronics from both locales).
Back to Document, they are self-releasing an LP on 12/8 called The Void Repeats, as independent as it gets, which you can stream here. Preview the opening track track below…
#morenewstomorrow
