DIY February 2018 - Neu

Touring with Ought and METZ and penning warped, dark postpunk, this trio are as intense as they come.

Words: Will Richards. Photo: Emma Swann.

Wakefield’s musical history might be inextricably tied to a certain three Jarmans, but over the past year or so, a new page has started to be written in the still-sparse book of the city’s guitar bands.

Holed away in an uncharacteristically grand old Georgian house on “one of about two nice streets in the whole city”, Drahla have been honing their dark, intense take on indie-punk. Through debut single ‘Faux Text’ the supremely and new EP ‘Third Article’, they’ve strode out as one of the country’s most uncompromising new bands.

They began when bassist Luciel Brown and guitarist Rob Riggs hit a dead end of making music in their South London bedroom, and moved back up north where they reconnected with old friend Mike Ainsley (drums) to create a new base in West Yorkshire.

“It got to a point [with the bedroom project] where we thought ‘where do we go with it now?’,” Rob offers,hunched away in a corner of London’s The Old Blue Last, a few hours before starting their year at the first show of DIY’s Hello 2018 series. “We were under a lot of limitations. We made the quick decision to move back up to Leeds and got back in touch with Mike, and had a practice the week after. There’s so much more freedom out of the spotlight,” adds Luciel.

She comments that a lot of the drive for Drahla’s early material came from a feeling of lost time, and not being able to achieve what they were capable of in the capital, and there’s an untameable urgency to the band’s output, all set behind her unorthodox but captivating vocals. Spitting out line after line and twisting words and syllables in each and every direction like they’re Play-Doh, they’re teamed perfectly with razor sharp guitar and Mike’s thundering power behind the kit.

As with so many punk bands across the country, the band went to go-to producer, MJ of Hookworms, at Suburban Home in Leeds, to mould their sound. “We can’t overstate how much of a help he’s been,” Luciel begins, before Mike admits that the band probably wouldn’t be where they are now, and looking forward with such confidence, if it weren’t for the help the producer had poured into the early stages of the band. “He totally gets us.”

‘Third Article’, released back in November, is a natural and satisfying progression, with lead track ‘Form of Luxury’ using restraint as its main weapon: Luciel’s vocals make far more noise in her spoken drawl than an untamed scream would.

In an ideal meeting of minds, the band’s next tour - which comes in between a series of studio sessions - is alongside Montreal punks Ought, who just happen to be Luciel’s favourite band.

“It feels like a massive deal,” she says of the upcoming April run. “We’re so influenced [by Ought] that the fact they’ve asked us to play is amazing and terrifying.”

Already slotting in perfectly alongside some of the punk game’s biggest players, Drahla are quickly becoming your favourite band’s favourite band, and with ideas coming thick and fast for the follow-up to ‘Third Article’, and an unstoppable live show, they’ll be yours before long too. DIY

There’s so much more freedom out of the spotlight.” - Luciel Brown

Sofi Tukker

Defiant, cocky pop written with a Scissor Sister.

Over the past few years, New Yorkbased duo Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern have managed to simultaneously garner nearly 50 million streams for early single ‘Drinkee’ and fly relatively under the radar. A house-influenced chartmingler, it’s been followed up by the uninhibited, hands-in-the-air smash ‘Fuck They’, written with Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. It carries much of the fun and fearlessness of said band, and pushes Sofi Tukker closer to that much-deserved success. Listen: Viral hit ‘Drinkee’ and the ballsy ‘Fuck They’. Similar to: House-influenced twists on chart-topping bangers.

Nervus

British punks with more than a few points to prove.

Releasing second album ‘Everything Dies’ via Big Scary Monsters in March, four-piece Nervus are striding out as one of Britain’s most important new punk bands. Vocalist Em Foster’s lyrics are savage, thoughtful and socially conscious, but don’t deny the band’s right to have a hell of a lot of fun along the way too; the album’s first preview ‘Sick Sad World’ is a supremely catchy indication of things to come. Listen: Shiny but angry new single ‘Sick Sad World’. Similar to: An amalgamation of all your favourite UK punks.

Moaning

Gritty, promising new Sub Poppers.

A product of LA’s DIY scene, Moaning are Sub Pop’s latest signing, and maybe one of America’s greatest new indierock bands. Teasing their upcoming debut LP (out 2nd March) with first single ‘Don’t Go’, the trio channel Cloud Nothings and labelmates METZ, making something uncompromising in its heaviness, but also committed to a stonking, catchy chorus. It’s already looking like the whole package. Listen: Debut single ‘Don’t Go’. Similar to: Cloud Nothings, METZ.

RECOMMENDED

Boy Azooga

New Heavenly signings pack a funky punch.

As debut singles go, Boy Azooga’s first effort ‘Face Behind Her Cigarette’ is an impossibly strong one. Already stuck to the airwaves (and the DIY office stereo) like glue, the discoinfluenced bop sees the Cardiff bunch and new Heavenly signings already bound for dancefloors and festival tents alike. Released at the tail end of last year, the track takes influence from LCD Soundsystem’s dance-rock hybrid and points at plenty, plenty more to come. Listen: Instantly addictive debut cut ‘Face Behind Her Cigarette’. Similar to: Friendly Fires’ bop meets Foals’ early intricacy.

Whenyoung

Irish trio who count Superfood and (ahem) Shane McGowan as fans.

Not many bands (well, actually, no other bands) get asked to support Superfood and play Shane McGowan’s 60th birthday party within six months of each other, but it’s already becoming pretty clear that Irish trio Whenyoung aren’t ‘most bands’. Across debut AA-side ‘Actor’ / ’Silverchair’, there’s enough hooks to fill a full-length, with harmonies that scream out for tinnies in the park on endless summer afternoons. Just what we need in a bleak winter, we reckon. Listen: The sun-drenched, absurdly catchy ‘Silverchair’. Similar to: Gorgeous, uninhibited indie-pop.

the buzzfeed

All the buzziest new music happenings, in one place.

AN L.P. FOR YOUR M.I.N.D.

Hot on the heels of brilliant new single ‘Everybody Wants To Be Famous’, Class of 2018 stars Superorganism have announced details of their debut album. The self-titled effort comes out on 2nd March, and it’s bound to be a full-length packed with as much colour, melody and forwardthinking as we’ve come to expect. A few more cash registers wouldn’t go amiss either.

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES

After re-releasing her bedroom collection... um, ‘Collection’, last year, Soccer Mommy is back with details of debut full-length, ‘Clean’. First cut ‘Your Dog’ shows a new bite to Sophie Allison, and we’re beside ourselves with excitement for the album, to be honest. It’s out 2nd March via Fat Possum, and you can find more details and listen to ‘Your Dog’ on diymag.com.

OUR GIRL TAKE US TO CHURCH (THEN ON TOUR)

No strangers to shredding, Our Girl are stripping things back for us this month with a special full-band acoustic performance at London’s St Pancras Old Church. Following the special show, they’re set to plug back in and head around the UK as part of our Class Of 2018 tour. It’s all systems go for Our Girl. See all the dates on diymag.com.

ON THE PL AYLI S T

Every week on Spotify, we update DIY’s Neu Discoveries playlist with the buzziest, freshest faces. Here’s our pick of the best new tracks:

FRIGS ‘Talking Pictures’

This Toronto four-piece make spiky, confrontational post-punk, and newie ‘Talking Pictures’ is the best example yet.

******** [The Drink] ‘Kinderpunsch’

A drawling, hilarious account of mundanity, ‘Kinderpunsch’ from the band FKA Guinness is a glorious first step, and “club me with your Clubcard” might already be the lyric of the year.

COL3TRANE ‘Penelope’

This Frank Ocean-influenced Londoner is already looking like a star, and ‘Penelope’ is a silky, enticing early highlight.

NEU LIVE

HELLO 2018

It’s that time again: we bring the hottest new acts to London’s Old Blue Last for a month of live shenanigans. Photos: Emma Swann

night is a paean to all things dark and stormy. Londoners Sistertalk are suited up like a bunch of dapper spivs, and make for a deliciously confident opener, channelling the stabbing melodic shrieks of ‘Strange House’-era Horrors. Hotel Lux, meanwhile, are a more straightforward proposition but no less angry - there are Shame-recalling kicks to be found throughout. The new project of Palma Violets star Chilli Jesson, Crewel Intentions’ set sees the frontman exude a sheer force of energy that feels almost too big for the room. Musically, it’s incredibly tight too. The cowboy theatrics of their opener and its repeated talk of “the man in black” come on like Nick Cave in a western, while there’s even a bit of Tom Petty when the set takes a slower turn. By comparison, Leeds trio Drahla are almost static, but their rhythmic repetitions and taught coils of post-punk provide all the intensity needed. Yowl’s Gabriel Byrde has fractured not one, but two (aka both) of his elbows - but you wouldn’t know it from the way the singer hurls himself around the stage and into the crowd. He’ll be needing a hefty dose of codeine in the morning, but tonight, not even a full-on body cast could stop Yowl. (Lisa Wright)

WEEK TWO

It’s a bitterly cold night

in East London, and the second night of our Hello 2018 series is one that, suitably, deals largely in escapism. New Cannibal Hymns signings Underwater Boys open things up, with debut single ‘Everyone You Know’ a woozy, sun-kissed slice of Tame Impala-esque psych-pop. JW Ridley, meanwhile, shows buckets of promise with skyreaching, drive-time stabs at the do-or-die attitude of Springsteen. Sports Team, meanwhile, are firmly rooted in reality. Penning songs about - in their own words - crisps and Ashton Kutcher among other things, they’re an intoxicating live prospect, with frontman Alex Rice pinning confrontational stares on the front row one moment, then trying to compete with the swinging hips of Mick Jagger the next. When Cardiff newcomers Boy Azooga tear into the fast, frenetic ‘Full House’ a few minutes into their headline set, it couldn’t be more apt: there’s barely room to sip a pint let alone swing a cat, but the band’s star quality is immediately evident, with debut single ‘Face Behind A Cigarette’ an undeniable highlight. (Will Richards)

Matador’s latest signee, LindseyJordan is anuntameable force of youth.

Words: Will Richards. Photo: Emma Swann.

SNAIL MAIL

neu

Sitting in the London offices of label Matador, Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan is putting the rest of us to shame. Straight off a plane from her native Baltimore, doing the rounds and meeting her new colleagues all while running on next-to-no sleep, she’s got no right to be this bubbly and energetic.

“Some of the songs are aggressively sad, and others are just...shrug emoji,” she laughs through a yawn, speaking of her upcoming full-length record, her first on the new label and the follow-up to 2016 EP ‘Habit’.

Written over a number of years, and tracking the teenage years of the 19 year-old, the as-yet-untitled record predictably travels through many transitional states, and it’s selfdescribed as a bit of an emotional mess. “It’s really noticeable,” she begins, the day before her first UK show, playing solo at the capital’s The Lexington. “It’s written across a very transformative time in my life, and there’s a lot of different viewpoints, be it on relationships, or whatever’s going on in my life. The writing process started out being a very pathetic ‘Why don’t you love me?!’ but got to the point where it was more ‘Love me or not, I’m a busy, independent person’,” she continues, letting out another giggle.

“I guess it’s necessary to develop your feelings, but the record’s gonna come out and everyone’s gonna think ‘well, how do you feel about these things?’ Every single song is a completely different stage of my life.”

Dropping out of her local ice hockey team in her early teens (“those guys were jerks”), Lindsey fell in with the local punk and hardcore scenes in Baltimore, who persuaded her to take Snail Mail more seriously and go on tour, which was never the plan. A prod in the right direction and a quick sign on the dotted line for this year’s upcoming full-length later though, and things are moving at a real pace for Snail Mail. DIY

neu

Brought togetherbehind the bar, and penningattentiongrabbing, straightup bangers,Uxbridge upstartsBloxx take thingsfar more seriously than they firstlet on.

Words: El Hunt. Photo: Emma Swann.

Bouncing around like possessed jelly beans, and veering wildly off topic at every turn, it’s a mean feat to get a word in edgeways at the best of times with Uxbridge’s newbies, Bloxx. Going off on tangents ranging from their passionate gripes with Wetherspoons’ new order-to-table app (three quarters of the band originally met through working at the bevvy utopia) to constantly taking the piss out of one another to the point that almost every original point of conversation is instantly derailed, it’s a wonder that this lot ever get anything done. And yet, taking stock of the music itself, it’s apparent they’re doing something very right indeed.

“If we took this seriously, it’d be too much like a job,” starts guitarist Taz Sidhu. ”We’re mucking about 99% of the time, even when we’re writing music. We keep it nice and laid back.”

It’s an approach that’s won out so far. When Bloxx first popped up last year, playing raucous gigs in packed East London vintage shops and penning infectious, unfiltered songs, they showed a raw kind of promise that soon caught the attention of the discerning Chess Club Records, and won them support slots with INHEAVEN, Sundara Karma and Will Joseph Cook along the way. “Since those tours, it’s seriously levelled us up,” frontwoman Fee Booth says. “We’ve shown thousands of people our music who would never have heard of us otherwise.”

Early singles ‘Your Boyfriend’ and ‘You’ are similarly straight-up, investing energy in immediacy over floweriness. “I cannot for the life of me write lyrics down and keep them the same,” she says. “Every night we played a song on the Sundara tour, and the words were different. I don’t sit down and overthink it, so I just write straight-up as things come out my mouth. Word vomit. If I was to be all metaphorical and linguistical, it just wouldn’t be Bloxx,” she pauses before summing the band’s no bullshit lyricism with another to the point one liner. “We’re literally just a generation of people who love ‘Spoons,” Fee concludes.

Speaking about what’s next on the agenda, Bloxx - for once - focus on the matter in hand, and it’s clear that, despite the clowning, they’ve got sky-high ambitions. “We’ve honed in our sound,” Fee says of an upcoming new EP, “and in the new ones it’s a joint effort. We’re so excited. The next two [songs] we’re going to release will take us from here,” she gestures, lifting her hand upwards towards the ceiling, “to here.” DIY

bloxx