Kicking Goals, Son!

This has been a long time coming. I’ve been a fan of Boston band Soccer Mom since their inception back in 2010; they were the subject of one of the first ever Sonic Masala interviews (an element that has come in fits and bursts, but has included the likes of Civil Civic, Angie (Straight Arrows/Ruined Fortune/Circle Pit), White Walls, Batpiss and Alpine Decline amongst others); my write-ups find a small space in the nether regions of their press releases. And yes their moniker is incredibly misleading. But if you haven’t jumped rampantly on their bandwagon, no need to go back to the beginning. Simply dive headfirst into the distorted world of their debut self-titled album – it’s an exercise in calibrated tension, serrated guitar lines opened up to the sky, a series of noise and nuance that embodies what guitar rock should be.


Start with opener ‘It’s Probably Not Your Fault’ – my favourite track on the album, because it IS Soccer Mom. Crawling out of an aluminium bin with the requisite fast-approaching din, we enter the kind of loud-sedate territory that Archers Of Loaf made (make?) their own, creating a cacophony of fuzz and cymbals amidst the sonorous chorus, everything tempered with gazed-shoe precision (including the feedback-toying close). Its that sense of frivolity and earnestness tagteaming amongst the chaos that makes them such an enthralling listen. Elsewhere the is the swirling guitars and disembodied of vocals of ‘Orejas’; the glazed dreaminess of ‘No One Left’; the anguished stutter of (im)personality on ‘Dry Mind’; and the crowded instrumental interlude in the middle of ‘Hideaway Sands’ is the kinda things that coalesces into a vibrant catharsis of crossed strings and smashed slings that Deerhunter-via-Sonic Youth revel in. The brooding closer ‘Open Heart Surgery’ is more openly abrasive, still tempered by crooned insistence, but offering an expulsion that to be honest doesn’t even need to come - if you aren’t an acolyte by album’s end, why are you still here?

The band continue to connect, playing alongside the likes of Weekend, Whirr, Speedy Ortiz and Nothing, bands in particular that embody the yin and the yang of Soccer Mom’s aesthetic. I know there will be albums this year that will grab my attention harder and for longer, but this is such a solid opening gambit longplayer, especially having listened from the beginning, that it’s hard not to get rabidly excited. Well done guys. Soccer Mom is out now through 100m Records – you should definitely get this.

A Bearhug Is Easy

Sydney slacker rock aficionados Bearhug brought a killer record last year with Bill, Dance, Shiner. Their mixture of Pavement hooks and Archers Of Loaf melodies (with more than a dash of Wilco whimsy) has seen them take SXSW by storm, and the US fanbase continues to swell. Yet they still find it difficult to gain leeway in their own country - it's ridiculous how this world works sometimes...

Bearhug brought out the four track Over Easy EP earlier this year, so this isn't a new thing, but they look set to make a sojourn up north soon, and have murmurings of new materials in the works - so it's a good time to get reacquainted. Seriously these guys should be the biggest thing coming out of Sydney right now. Its about time you need to get on board. Grab their albums here through Spunk Records here.

SCRATCHIN' ROUND - Left and Right, Diving Bells, Fawn Spots

Direction is something that, when brought up, is often claimed to be something I lack. I don't really mind too much. I might be walking around by myself with no idea where I'm heading, but I managed to find these, so it's working out okay so far.

There is something victorious about Left and Right's 93 EP. A kind of world weariness, worn thin but not through; a real coming to terms with things (as long as those terms still mean they can still wail away on their distortion pedals if they see fit). There are some classic '90s sounds here: the production has the crowded sparseness (trust me on this one) of an early Archers of Loaf recording and I especially dig the the way you have to listen for the vocals in 'Coliseum'. They're not buried, just covered by a bit of dust - you have to work for the good stuff, you know. I'm very fucking glad I dug through the inbox for these guys.



You don't often see the words 'Ireland via Korea' arranged in that order. But Diving Bells have made the connection. From the drone of ruddy Irish waters through the repeated patterns of the hand and foot, here that connection makes sense. It pushes and pushes and pushes, piled behind itself in the shell of an abandoned bank headquarters. Ride it to where it takes you.

I found Fawn Spots on someone's couch. I can't help but feel I'm not alone in having done so. When you don't know where your headed, a welcoming couch is nirvana. Like when you probably went a little too far and did things you'd rather not remember (because you don't really feel like breaking down). Wash your face. You might not wanna see yourself but you still need to get up and keep going - even if it is by yourself.



This track's out through Critical Heights on a split 7" with fellow couch veterans Scott and Charlene's Wedding.

Last Year's Men Had No Claws

Remember when all the best bands came from North Carolina? Chapel Hill in the early/mid Nineties? No? Hmm. Well, they did - Archers of Loaf, Superchunk, Polvo, Sex Police, Pipe, Squirrel Nut Zippers (*cough*). And Last Year's Men are doing their best to bring the mojo back to the region. They have an LP coming out soon (produced by Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound/Oblivians, even more reason to get excited), and have this Clawless Paw 7" (out through the excellent Sophomore Lounge)to whet the whistle. Two tracks of garage rock that also deal in subterfuge - the titular track's intro is raucous yet contained, yet threatens to derail every second thereafter; whilst 'What I Can Get' shows us a shinier, happier side of the coin, before the facade crumbles and the rot sets in, full fledged coarse steel-wool glory. Its clear that these guys have something percolating here; that the garish cover only hints at the hypercolour madness within; that this incoming record could be napalm to the soul; and that a good spiritual hazing is something 2013 is begging for. Bring that shit ON.

Clawless Paw can be in your eager mitts now - get it here. The band have a May tour of the US lined up, but need YOUR help! Look below, and if you can help hit up their Facebook here.

may 20th - asheville, nc HELP

may 21st - nashville, tn w/ cheap time (need help with a place to play!)

may 22nd - louisville, ky at tba w/ mount carmel

may 23rd - chicago, il at tba

may 24th - detroit, mi at tba

may 25th - toronto, on at silver dollar w/ mystics

may 26th - hamilton, on at casbah w/ mystics

may 27th - montreal at tba w/ mystics

may 28th - new york, ny at shea stadium

may 29th - new jersey/dc/philly HELP PLEASE?

may 30th - richmond, va at tba w/ nervous ticks

Last Year's Men - Clawless Paw