False-Heads, photo by Kerry Lacey
There’s our two heaviest hitters yet in this week’s Unknown Pleasures, with Getintothis’ Patrick Clarke also uncovering some golden-guitar pop straight out of Miami.
Though we’ve already seen some psychedelic steamrollers of late from the likes of Giant Swan and Hey Colossus (whose new album currently holds the top spot for 2015’s best so far), we’re still in the mood for something heavy here at Unknown Pleasures corner.
It’s a good job we’ve come across False-Heads this week, who’ve been hurling out the heaviest of hitters from the edges of East London for a few years now. Their latest, Wrap Up, is no different, affirming early praise from the likes of Q Magazine and BBC Introducing.
A lumbering, lurching four minutes, snotty vocals soon give way to a cascade of gravelly guitars, leaping against each other until a final crescendo of duelling descents and thrusts. A progression from their more Pixies-leaning early work, there’s a potency to this trio that we can only hope will carry them even further.
Another group boasting a remarkable sense of progression are New Patz, New York’s Lives of the Obscure. Their 2012 Deathfête EP and 2014 full-length Into the Stacks were great releases, if a little uncentered, but new EP Bikini Island is a step up and a half.
A blend of Japandroids noisy emotion, math-rock mazes of guitar and drums and big, sneering vocals, it’s a rolling, rumbling release of heavy riffs and knife-edge calms before the storm. Another exceptional effort from Limited Fanfare Records, the home of previous Unknown Pleasures Ex-Norwegian.
Miami’s My Deer might be a bit of a departure from all that racket with their soft, emotive aesthetics, but the indelible danceability of Story is something equally as marvellous in itself.
A collaboration between Johanna Viscaino and Yannick Calleiro after the former’s departure from local outfit Sirens and Sealions, it’s a match made in alt-pop heaven, Viscaino’s assertive-yet-tender vocals hitting all the right heartstrings atop punchy, grooving riffs from Calleiro.
With a distinct eye on the best of alternative pop and an affable nostalgia to the glint in its musical eye, Story is one of our most endearing finds yet. We can only hold our breath for a full-length release to carry on the party.
