Cults Are Cool

I think this is a first. I put up on the Sonic Masala Facebook page last week asking what people were listening to. Other than perennial SMer Andy, there wasn't much response - except from Phil Platt who posted the album Try Crunch from a noise band from New Zealand, Cool Cult. I hadnt heard it, so I went over to the Bandcamp to do just that - and it's fucking ace of base. Running the gamut of noise pop, from your post-punk shoegaze to your no wave and some experimental flourishes in between, the Auckland trio are willing to throw their musical ideas around with wanton abandon. But don't think there isn't substance here behind the constant application of style - these are mostly beautifully formed nuggets sound that are brimming with exuberance and ebullience (like in the track 'Unlived') whilst retaining a hard edged sheen throughout. Some may even here the entire career trajectory of one Bradford Cox in there... Im very impressed - thanks for the heads up Phil, hopefully we here at SM can do the same for you!

And if this Rapture business turns out to just have gotten stuck in traffic and is actually on its way, you could do worse than to sacrifice it all to these three kids...

Cool Cult's Try Crunch is out through Muzai Records (who are also responsible for Fatangryman who I spoke about here).

Cool Cult - Tomorrow

Listen To T54, "Because I Told You To..."

Over the past month or two Ive been mentioning a slew of NZ acts that I think are pretty special - Surf City, Secret Knives, The Mint Chicks, Die! Die! Die!, Paperghost, Glass Vaults, FATANGRYMAN, Popstrangers... But what people outside of New Zealand may not realise is that the majority (OK, all) of these acts come from the North Island. Now, Ive spent my fair share of time around Christchurch and the South Island, and there didnt seem to be much of a burgeoning music scene bubbling under the surface - unless you're into dub, then you are pretty much set. (I must admit though that I havent been there since 2006, so that is a lot of time between drinks of Speights...)

T54 are determined to prove me wrong, and if they are anything like the Russian tank they are named after, I best get out of their way. They have an EP on its way on Christchurch label Gold Sounds called Drone Attacks, and if 'Julie K' is anything to go by, they have a record collection solely made up of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, along with a healthy fixation on Japandroids' Post Nothing and Male Bonding's Nothing Hurts. Which is fucking great. Where were you guys 5 years ago when I had to gnaw off my own arm in Christchurch just to have some aural anarchy? Sure, its beautiful and all, but still...Im a convert. I had dreams of moving to the Canterbury region back then, and if there is a scene like this being mustered, I may just go back to that dream...

Head over to their bandcamp and not only can you pick up 'Julie K', but a list of demos (which features some Dick Dale-isms along with their no wave love) they did under the name Superdicksystem, a play on a 90s album by NZ band The Feelers. I agree with the sentiments...

T54 - Julie K

Three young Kiwi punk kids Voltron into a fat angry man...

Yep. Thats pretty much FATANGRYMAN, the Auckland no-wave fuck ups that struggle to stay in time, to sound anything other than a discordant swamp of a mess, and come out the other side smelling like (albeit sweaty and bloodstained) roses. These girls (and guy...) have some connections to other Kiwi exports Die! Die! Die! and The Mint Chicks - and although it can be argued that those bands can play their instruments and have more to say, FATANGRYMAN throw distortion into a fan and watch the results flayed across a grungy mattress. And then there's 'Wrapped In Plastic', a track that hints at a squirming, menacing disquiet behind the mayhem... Its infused with an enthusiasm that informs the miasmic mess that the band offers, and the contrasting effects of anger and fun that oozes from the speakers is enough of a hook to give them some 90s props.

FATANGRYMAN - Wrapped In Plastic

FATANGRYMAN - Phyllis