Margot
In this week’s round-up of the best in brand-new sounds, Getintothis’ Patrick Clarke sees a little attitude going a very long way, along with something truly baffling.
We kick off this week in Los Angeles, where new Wichita signing Girlpool are turning the west-coast slacker scene on it’s head in devilishly ragged fashion. The punk-infused duo – Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker – scratch and wail through new track Jane in disharmonious unison, sporadic screeches teeming with menace.
Anchored by a crude, thumping bassline, the track is a perilous and winding narrative of Tommy and Jane, and of sexuality, violence and empowerment. Though sparse on detail the track is soaked in atmospherics, the band’s foggy and threatening aesthetic given ample room to brood by a scratching hook of guitar and a complete lack of drums.
Girlpool
Meanwhile in Riccione, Northern Italy, electronic duo Margot spin a glitchy blend of dance that takes in trip-hop, psychedelia and techno and collates them into something singularly novel. Consiting of DJs Pepe and Gigarobot (obviousy) the pair are idiosyncratic to say the least, yet their eccentricities betray a sound that at times is absolutely euphoric.
Waldorf is the pairing’s newest and weirdest offering, sounding like an 80s synth-pop number that’s been filtered through itself a hundred times, while older track Trentaseitrenta is their strongest, a psychedelic space-rock epic twisted into danceable electronica.
Last but not least it’s back to LA, where another set of snotty Californians are the appropriately named Bobby T. & the Slackers, whose gritty garage-punk both braces and inspires. Most recent offering See You When I Die is impeccably produced, retaining that essential tattered edge yet still entirely convincing in its vivacious emotive force.
The ‘band’ is in fact largely the solo efforts of the titular Mr. T. – Robert Tilden – who draws upon the likes of Wavves and Jay Reatard for a vital sound that’s ever-teetering on the brink of chaos. Though the slacker aesthetic is often merely a manner of disguise for amateurism, Bobby T. is an undeniable talent, and a simply impeccable songwriter.
