February 2023 Noteworthy New Releases
Our favourite tunes of the month.
Words by Will Oakeshott
DRUID FLUIDS – ‘INTO ME I SEE’
“Sgt. Pepper is the most important rock and roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock and roll group of all time.” These bold words are from Rolling Stone magazine in a review of the ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’. The Beatles’ 1967 album sold 32 million copies, however a more significant accolade could be a single descriptor of Sgt. Pepper: ‘timeless’.
The 13 tracks are still worshipped more than 50 years later, and elements shine through on Druid Fluid’s new single Into Me I See. The Adelaide-based multi-instrumentalist Jamie Andrew has undertaken the Getting Better motif with a six-minute extravaganza. The listener is propelled into Mr Andrew’s universe and sent into an orbit of pop-rock psychedelia – a dreamy soundscape enriched with sitar, Tame Impala instruction, MGMT oddities and a fantastic luminescence. All up, it creates an essence that, in the words of Lisa Simpson, actualises the effect of “I can see the music...”
Attention Kevin Parker, It Might Be Time for THIS new collaboration.
QUARTZ PISTOL – ‘LIGHT’
“There’s not only emotion in the way you sing but also in what you sing.” – Beth Gibbons.
This transcendent testimony from the main voice of England’s trip-hop pioneers Portishead could well be the message written on the cover page of Quartz Pistol’s (aka Abbey Howlett) lyric book. Her forthcoming record produced with Perrin Moss (Hiatus Kaiyote) is undoubtedly one met with avid anticipation on a global scale – and the recently released single Light is radiant.
The track begins with a swirl of wicked bass-driven beats along the lines of Aphex Twin before Quartz Pistol begins an eery, wonderful, bewitching chant. Then come the lyrics “I see light”, expressed in an awe-inspiring, angelic harmony that would have Björk herself Violently Happy. The song continues down a trip-hop path of sorts, but the spectrum is rather broad, similar to the explorations of A Forest Mighty Black.
The single carries majestically through musical stages. It’s somewhat comparable to observing different acts in a theatrical performance, much like Portishead achieved with their hit, Numb. It’s totally alluring, added to by Quartz Pistol’s entrancing emotional commitment.
CHAMP – ‘THE GRIND’
Did you know that Nirvana’s first official single, entitled Love Buzz, was a cover of the Dutch psychedelic rock band Shocking Blue’s 1969 single? As a matter of fact, it’s the song that helped the Seattle grunge luminaries sign to the infamous Sub Pop record label and begin a trajectory of illustriousness that no-one could have predicted. The notable line in the song is “Can you feel my love buzz?” As any music aficionado would know, the world did feel it – and still does today.
Nearly 30 years after Kurt Cobain’s untimely death, and over 35 years since the trio’s formation, the influence is still heard, marvelled at and embraced. Adelaide’s CHAMP are wearing this outfit proudly with their single The Grind. But this isn’t the polish of major label debut Nirvana; this is the raw, garage sludge-pop of the Bleach era and it’s striking. Before jumping to the Violent Soho comparison – which is to a degree justified – this three-piece are no replication, but more the Scentless Apprentice of Soho with teen spirit. And it is very A-OK.
COLDWAVE – ‘SAME WINDOW, DIFFERENT HOUSE’
A ‘cold snap’ or ‘cold wave’ is an often dangerous, rapid cold spell that can demonstrate the fantastic force of mother nature. Coldwave are a relatively new six-piece hailing from Adelaide but their debut EP, Same Window, Different House, proves a similarly fantastic force. Their brand of post punk harbours a different kind of danger that the world may not be ready for – the bone-chilling brilliance of new wave artistry.
Ironically titled opening track Ice Cold wavers between Nick Cave’s earlier project The Birthday Party and post hardcore savants, Touché Amoré. The lyrics “I cannot tell between fact or fiction” is fitting – Coldwave have produced an amazing aura of sound for their first official release. Faceless is a two-minute blast of post punk psychosis. It’s inspiring and suggests an even-earlier Mr Cave in the
Boys Next Door with the frenetic finesse of Gold Class; a more visual representation could be fans’ reactions after witnessing the Sex Pistols live for the first time in the 1970s.
Twenty Two slows the experience down, however the listener is left on a knife’s edge by the fierce spoken word exhibition – similar to how Self Defense Family perform as though they’re a ticking time bomb. ‘Buster’ recalls the jazzy explorations that Touché Amoré brought to their hardcore roots, while the drumming embodies Darren King’s power (formerly of MuteMath) and drives the song into more indie rock territory. Closer Spurs For Business Cards has the lighter aspects of La Dispute, known for building crescendos, though the escalation to harness the anthem From Her To Eternity is an impeccable conclusion.
