Today, instrument-swapping London/Margate trio Wicketkeeper releases debut album, "Shonk". Fourteen tracks of DIY outsider guitar-pop with nods to Pavement and Sebadoh, Shonk was recorded at the Gun Factory in Homerton with producer Lindsay Corstorphine (Sauna Youth, Primitive Parts) and captures the trio - comprised of brothers Simon (vocals, drums, guitar) and Alex Morley (bass, drums, guitar), and Ryan Oxley (bass, guitar) - at the peak of their insouciant powers.
Drawn from a collection of over 50 (!) songs written during a few years of Wicketkeeper loosely identifying as a band, Shonk offers a snapshot of their charmingly upbeat indie-rock recorded live in two days with Corstorphine. It includes the previously-released singles 'The Side', 'Spin', 'Feeling', 'OK' and 'Night Night (Whatever)', which have seen the band play across our fair isles alongside Cloud Nothings, Squid, Spielbergs and Japanese Breakfast, as well as releasing a split 12" with Car Seat Headrest (via Luau Records, UK) and the Wicketkeeper EP on cassette (Reefers Records, US).
As Oxley explains: "This
was always about three friends with no songs, getting into a practice
room in North London and seeing what came of it. The only caveat being,
it had to make us smile. None of us could play drums, there was no
conversation about 'what should we sound like?', this is just how we
sounded when we all plugged in and played together. Over a few years we
got together when we could, and even played a few gigs here and there,
and then came Shonk. Yeah, sure, by the time it comes out it will have
been years since some of these songs were written but it’s still those
same three friends, those same three smiles, just now with 14 songs (and
some). From the practice room to the, well, practice room.”
Listen:
Wicketkeeper’s debut is thrashy guitar pop at its finest The Line Of Best Fit
The LP is available now limited to 200 x Black Vinyl and 100 x Piss Yellow Vinyl.
ORDER VINYL / DIGITAL
Fort Not is a Gothenburg based band, emerged out of the fumes of gin and tonic during a west coast summer night. The band, consisting of two friends, Fredrik and Robert, is a musically odd couple that found common ground in catchy pop songs and their equal love for Pavement.
"Both me and Robert love pop-songs, which is about the only thing we have in common musical vice. I have a mix tape that Calvin Johnson (Beat happening) made called ”U.S. pop underground - whimpy/ power pop 1976-1980”. I played it one summer for Robert and he instantly loved it. We always seem to come back to it when we are recording in the studio. It’s such an inspiration for us. Maybe not so much for the sound as for the love of a catchy churus”
Taking inspiration from that very mix-tape and the indie-pop golden Era of the 80s and the 90s they recorded ”the club is open”. The album was recorded by Emanuel Hallongren in his studio in Gothenburg. He is a special member of Fort Not, making all those songs into what they are; distorted, breezy, emotive, heart melting and slowshaking songs with beautiful melodies.
Fredrik writes most of the songs on different keyboards that he’s got at home. In the studio those songs get new life from the hands of Fort not ”One of my favourite is a kids toy keyboard. I just love to see how my songs evolve to a new creature in the studio.”
Listen:
The LP is available now limited to 150 x Black Vinyl and 100 x Piss Yellow Vinyl.
ORDER VINYL / DIGITALORDER VINYL / DIGITAL
Today, instrument-swapping London/Margate trio Wicketkeeper return with 'A Lot To Lose', the second single drawn from their debut LP, Shonk, which lands October 16th via Meritorio Records. Fourteen tracks of DIY outsider guitar-pop with nods to Pavement and Sebadoh, Shonk was recorded at the Gun Factory in Homerton with producer Lindsay Corstorphine (Sauna Youth, Primitive Parts) and captures the trio - comprised of brothers Simon (vocals, drums, guitar) and Alex Morley (bass, drums, guitar), and Ryan Oxley (bass, guitar) - at the peak of their insouciant powers. It follows hot on the heels of last month's single, 'The Side', which picked up plaudits from Clash, The Fader, DIY, So Young, Loud and Quiet, The I, Dots & Dashes and many more.
'A Lot To Lose' is Shonk's effervescent opening gambit, three and a half minutes of buoyant fuzz-punk with a carpe diem attitude. As Simon puts it: "Lyrically, it’s written from the perspective of a dead advisor. It’s a pretty simple message: when you’re dead you can’t do anything. So you might as well do a bunch of stuff before you’re dead. Don’t fucking hang around not doing anything, looking confused".
Listen:
The LP is available to pre-order now limited to 200 x Black Vinyl and 100 x Double Mint Green Vinyl.
Pre-Order "Shonk"
Swedish duo Fort Not share news of their new single "Love Me Do", the new album The Club Is Open, arriving on September 18th on Limited Edition Vinyl and Digital.
Fort Not is a Gothenburg based band, emerged out of the fumes of gin and tonic during a west coast summer night. The band, consisting of two friends, Fredrik and Robert, is a musically odd couple that found common ground in catchy pop songs and their equal love for Pavement.
’Love me do is not a Beatles cover, but the first time Robert’s brother heard it performed live he excitedly announced ”This sounds just like the Beatles, only better!” Humbly, Fort not couldn’t agree more. It has got a lot of Lo-fi charm and with its beautiful melodies it sounds something like Half Japanese poppiest moments, and it will sweep you of your feet’’.
Listen:
The LP is available to pre-order now limited to 150 x Black Vinyl and 100 x Piss Yellow Vinyl.
Pre-Order The Club Is Open.
Instrument-swapping London/Margate trio Wicketkeeper share news of their debut LP, Shonk, arriving on October 16th via Meritorio Records.
Fourteen tracks, including their previous 4 singles along with new song ’The Side’ (out now), of DIY outsider guitar-pop with nods to Pavement and Sebadoh, Shonk was recorded at the Gun Factory in Homerton with producer Lindsay Corstorphine (Sauna Youth, Primitive Parts) and captures the trio - comprised of brothers Simon (vocals, drums, guitar) and Alex Morley (bass, drums, guitar), and Ryan Oxley (bass, guitar) - at the peak of their insouciant powers.
The lead single is 'The Side': three minutes of crunchy guitar pseudo-Mascisisms and sun-flecked power-pop vocal harmonies, rooted in the dizzying sensation of finding a real-life doppelganger of yourself. As Simon describes it, "Have you ever seen someone in a crowd and recognised them, but then realised it’s because they look like you? I have, it probably says something about my ego tbh. One of my favourite songs to play live because it's got a real loose breezy vibe, which suits my, erm 'style' of 'drumming'! The lyrics swing quite erratically from droll arrogance to romantic realism, with a sprinkling of Michael McIntyre-esque observational comedy (facepalm)." Listen:
The LP is available to pre-order now limited to 200 x Black Vinyl and 100 x Double Mint Green Vinyl. Pre-Order "Shonk"
