PUZZLE
For his Unknown Pleasures debut Getintothis’ Jake Marley unearths a Dutch band inspired by 60s sc-fi puppets, a serious dose of Seattle pastel-pop and a glorious side-project.
PUZZLE is the rather wondrous solo project of Fletcher Shears, the drumming half of art-punk duo The Garden. Keen to explore other galaxies, PUZZLE sees Shears take the natural step of a drummer solo project – beats and synths. Previous releases last year Demon and YES are well worth a listen just for addictive beat-synth combos alone.
New record Laying In The Sand sees Shears bring a hip-hop attitude to his vocal delivery and a circa 2000 Nintendo menu nostalgia to his waves. Clocking in at just under half-an-hour it’s not going to leave you rearranging events in your diary to catch a listen, however it should definitely force a drastic reshuffle in your music library, to make PUZZLE a permanent fixture.
Next we’re going Dutch, for Amsterdam’s The Mysterons. A psychedelic quintet named after 60s sc-fi puppet series Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons. Their sound incorporates 60s, 70s and modern day psychedelia and minimalist synth drones alongside an array of Turkish and Indian flavours. They’ve a soft spot for the mighty Portishead too, can’t go wrong.
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Early releases on Excelsior Recordings included the mesmerising groove-psych AA of Echoes and Thunderbird 1 – organ drones aplenty. A sound that’s evolved into the more riff-heavy Turkish Delight, their most recent release which sees a whirlwind of psychedelic guitars take centre stage. They’ve got a debut full-length Meandering coming next month so take a journey to their magical land.
Finally we’ve got a serious dose of experimental pastel-pop in the form of 19-year-old Seattle-based artist Liyv. Bubbly, twinkling synths and lyrics full of self-love and infectious positivity. Recent tracks such as the lushious Throne and the jaunty-edged Laser Eyes draw you in, she conveys “I make songs for sad people who like bright colours” and that reflective nature shines through.
Her tracks really are expertly crafted, delightfully hypnotic pop gems. Finding the perfect balance between experimental urges and sharp production to form an utterly captivating listening experience. She’s kicking off the new year working on more music too. Perfect for those window pane gazing rainy afternoons.
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