One of my favourite bands over the last few years has been Protomartyr, a quartet out of Detroit who combine post-punk dynamics, a nihilist howl, jagged edges and intelligent espousals. The good news is they have a new album called The Agent Intellect (their 3rd in as many years) coming out on August 8th via Hardly Art /Inertia. Below you can hear the first single ‘Why … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Protomartyr announce new single and album
The Pop Group’s Mark Stewart has always been a larger than life figure and now on the eve of Citizen Zombie, their first album in 35 years, he is positively chafing at the bit as he talks with Chris Familton about the creative forces that continue to drive the group. “It’s mental. I’m pinching myself and can’t believe it. We’ve just started rehearsing for the … Continue reading INTERVIEW: The Pop Group – We Don’t Want To Be Zombified
Aucklanders Trust Punks have carved themselves a healthy reputation over the last couple of years and now they have a debut album under their belts. It’s a strong showing too with twists and turns aplenty as they deploy their melodic post-punk sound across seven songs in a brief 24 minutes. Their range and ability to blend dissonance and melody are the cornerstones of the band’s … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Trust Punks – Discipline
Few bands know when to call it quits, the good ones calling time when they are still a potent musical entity, still at the top of their game. Sleater-Kinney never put a foot wrong in the first decade of their existence, churning out eight excellent albums that were immediately recognisable as the work of Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. In 2005 they stepped … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love
We were big fans of the debut METZ album and from the sound of this first single ‘Acetate’ the new album (II) promises to be equally brutal and infectious. These guys play physical music that hits like a sledgehammer and hypnotises like a deviant snake charmer on speed. As their press release says: The guitars are titanic, the drums ill-tempered, the vocals chilling, and the volume … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: METZ – Acetate
Out of the ashes of the band Women come Canadian quartet Viet Cong. Theirs is a dark and rhythmic post-punk guitar sound. Like a symposium of Interpol, Liars and Bauhaus, fronted by Andrew Eldritch, sweating it out in a dark, claustrophobic basement disco. Their debut self-titled LP is out now via Jagjaguwar. Here’s the clip for the track ‘Silhouettes’. You can watch the video for their first … Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Viet Cong – Silhouettes
The Clean are one of those bands that possesses a mythical aura about them. Across multiple decades they’ve remained an underground act yet they’re constantly being touted as an influence on a multitude of bands as each indie rock generation emerges. Their own influences – Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Byrds, Can, 70s punk and post-punk – formed their sound and in the … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Clean @ Sydney Festival (19/01/15)
Die! Die! Die!’s S W I M album released earlier this year was a fine addition to their always strong discography and one of its highlights is the song that soundtracks this clip… ‘Angel’. Under three minutes and overflowing with oohs, see sawing guitar and lurching bass. Continue reading VIDEO: Die! Die! Die! – Angel
Over a couple of solo albums Jamie Hutchings has been ploughing fertile ground with more introspective and quieter material than that of Bluebottle Kiss, his band from 1993-2007. Now he’s convened a new band featuring ex-BBK drummer Jared Harrison and headed back into dense, noisy, exploratory and discordant rock music. River Mirrors takes many twists and turns such as the meditative Necks-ish mood on Termites (a … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Infinity Broke – River Mirrors
Auckland quartet Beach Pigs have released a new clip for their song 333, taken from this year’s mighty fine LP Grom Warfare. The track is one of the many highlights of the album of which we said: The band’s strength is in the way they combine post-rock tonality with lush Byrdsian harmonies and the structural curiosity of a band like Pavement. That band was always … Continue reading VIDEO: Beach Pigs – 333
Here’s a great new track from London quartet Desperate Journalist that sounds like The Smiths jousting with Life Without Buildings. ‘Control’ has a real rush and urgency to it, nervous energy that converts to grandeur in the choruses. Play it and then play it again… Continue reading NEW MUSIC: Desperate Journalist – Control
Blank Realm received widespread critical acclaim for this year’s Grassed Inn album and with that momentum they were able to travel to Europe for the first time, playing a range of shows from intimate clubs to massive festival stages. Ahead of venturing down the highway from Brisbane to play The Blurst Of Times festival at the Factory Theatre, keyboardist and vocalist Sarah Spencer chats with … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Blank Realm
Doubtful Sounds 