Twin brothers Ollie and Callum Devlin lead New Zealand Wellington, Hans Pucket A band that TheBeths’ Liz Stokes has called “The best band in New Zealand.” She’s put her money where her mouth is, too, producing the band’s new album, “No Drama”, which will be out November 4th via Carpark. Get a taste now with bouncy, likable first single “My Brain is a Vacant Space.”
This Wellington, New Zealand four-piece Hans Pucket writes nervy but effortlessly danceable rock songs about feeling bad. Their second full-length album, “No Drama”, gleefully captures the all-too-common twenty-something anxieties of talking too much and then being unable to find the right words to say. When frontman Oliver Devlin sings, “I’m surfing a constant wave of alarm” on the title track, it’s a compass for the other nine tracks. This is inviting and relatable music for people who, despite their best efforts, feel uncomfortable about themselves, the state of the world, and their place in it. Both lyrically and sonically, “No Drama” is a departure for Hans Pucket from their 2018 debut “Eczema”. “I realized I didn’t want to write any more real heartbreak songs,” says Oliver Devlin. “We were and still are a live band. We’re still trying to make music that’s catchy and people can dance to, but also really interesting to us: songs about growing up and finding how you exist in the world.”
Releases November 4th, 2022
Band: Oliver Devlin, Callum Devlin, Jono Nott and Callum Passells
“My Brain Is A Vacant Space” is the first single off of Hans Pucket’s forthcoming album ‘No Drama’, out November 4th on Carpark Records.
New Zealand indie-pop group Yumi Zouma shared a video for their new song “Mona Lisa.” The self-directed video stars frontwoman Christie Simpson and was filmed in Lyttleton, New Zealand.
“‘Mona Lisa’ came to us gradually over a long period of time—so its story has changed and shifted, developing new relevance with each new phase of our lives,” states Simpson in a press release. “It’s a song that ruminates on conflicting, shifting uncertainty—of wanting someone that maybe you can’t have of uncertain boundaries, of confusing interactions, misunderstanding, yearning. Trying to forget an obsession or shifting between losing all hope and giving in to the obsession lured back by the excitement and promise the moments of feeling so alive. The terror and joy of a big crush.
“And so we wanted the video to feel like a mirror to all those emotions along the passage of time—except in isolation. A year stuck inside (as we have been), alone with the big feelings, the big highs, and the low lows—dancing around your bedroom, losing it a little bit. Moving in, making it yours, moving out again. The strange phase we’ve been existing in, trying to thrive in (occasionally succeeding, but often not). The joy, the sadness, the conflict, the chaos—without ever really leaving your bedroom.”
In September, the band shared the track “Give it Hell.” Their most recent album, “Truth or Consequences“, came out last year via Polyvinyl,
Reb Fountain is to be counted among our finest songwriters whose imagery is both personal and universal, and her command of a melody and a song transcends genre.
The namesake of her new album, which is out now, Reb Fountain says on the single, “’Iris’ is a love letter to my sisters and my many selves, an embrace that holds all the stories we never shared, a rainbow connection, a feminist arsenal, a space to rest, a prism for the heart. What’s in your heart that you dare not speak? If love be our currency, what stories we would tell?”
The perfect extension of her 2020 self-titled record, “Iris” elevates Reb Fountain’s music to new heights. Reb effortlessly combines pop elements with her trademark noir folk-punk sound; weaving authentic and anthemic tunes that create an instant and indelible impression. Written during lockdown in 202, Reb has said on the album “Writing a song a day to keep myself grounded and productive during lockdown, “Iris” provided me an opportunity to speak my unspoken, to reflect what I have seen and experienced from within and to bear witness.”
Diving into the deeper meaning of the album’s namesake, Reb says “Iris is in many ways an unsung hero, known as the goddess of the rainbow, sea and sky, she acts as bridge between the gods to humanity with little of her own story known. So many stories go unheard, so many aspects of our humanity are unsung; visibility is a contested and inequitable space where what is essential and of beauty is often ‘invisible’. I wanted and needed to give voice to this essential human spirit; to conjure and hold and commune with the very real, valid and invaluable voices within and around me.”
“Beastie” is my way of exploring and disrupting tales and tropes that separate ‘others’ from our ‘selves’. It’s easy to relegate evils to the ‘shameful past’; harder to confront our own current inhumanity, especially if one’s identity comes with benefits or losses. I wanted my eyes open and to speak in solidarity with resistance; to make a conscious choice for equity, justice, community, and love . . . and to give folks a chance to join in chorus . . . the band and I look forward to hearing you sing along in the near future.
The award-winning songwriter, Reb Fountain, is a consummate recording artist and performer; spell-bounding audiences with her music and artistry alike. Throughout 2020, Reb and her all-star band (Dave Khan, Karin Canzek and Earl Robertson) astounded audiences around the country on her sold out album release tour.
Reb was born in San Francisco and immigrated with her family from North America to Lyttelton — the quiet port town out of Christchurch that’s been fundamental to New Zealand’s alt-folk scene, raising artists like Marlon Williams, Aldous Harding, and Delaney Davidson.
“IRIS” is out via Flying Nun Records on the 1st of October, 2021 on both black and transparent turquoise vinyl, CD and digitally.
Released October 1st, 2021
All songs written by Reb Fountain except “Swim to the Star”, written by Peggy Seeger and Calum MacColl
Featuring classics like “Anything Could Happen” and “Point That Thing Somewhere Else,” The Clean’s“Boodle Boodle Boodle” EP arrived two months after the “Tally Ho!” single, peaking at #5 and staying in the New Zealand Top 20 for nearly six months. Recorded on four-track by The Clean’s childhood friends Chris Knox and Doug Hood, its five hugely influential songs provided a roadmap for the “Dunedin sound” that would soon follow. Boodle Boodle Boodle was awarded the Classic Record distinction by New Zealand’s Taite Music Prize in 2017.
Remastered by Tex Houston from the original tapes held at the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Since the release of their debut EP in 2014, Yumi Zouma’s evolution has been brisk and organic. The band sold out their first EP twice-over before its official release and before having ever played live. Growing up together in Christchurch, New Zealand, they scattered after high school, moving to Auckland, Paris and New York, collaborating over email to create Yumi Zouma’s initial material.
The intense reception to these early tracks resulted in the group’s first band practices taking place on arena stages, as they were asked on tour by both Chet Faker and Lorde. Yumi Zouma has since released three breath taking EPs and two albums with Cascine Records, earning the hearts of a devoted fanbase and selling out venues on national and overseas tours. Each release serves as another essential chapter in the continuing Yumi Zouma storybook.
Yoncalla (LP)
The 2017 debut album by Yumi Zouma follows two well-received EPs and multiple world tours. On “Yoncalla”, the band’s effortless waves of harmony have been refined and their creative process laid bare to expose an act more unguarded and interconnected than ever before.
The group’s origins trace back to their history of playing concerts together in Christchurch However, the band did not begin writing music together until multiple members moved abroad and began collaborating over email following the events of the Christchurch eartquake This early material gained attention within the musical bloggers and encouraged American label Cascine Records to sign the band before they had played live or held a band practice.
The band quickly released their first full-length album, “Yoncalla”, the following year. As opposed to the long-distance writing of the band’s earlier releases, Yoncalla consisted of material that had been finished during tours for EP II. The majority of the album’s final material was recorded in Paris France following an American tour which stopped by the city of Yoncalla in Oregon, The band produced the album at electronic musician Phillipe Zdar’s Motorbass studio in Paris, enabling them to achieve a sound more akin to classic synth poppier than their previous records
Willowbank (LP)
For the making of Willowbank, Yumi Zouma settled on a plan to reunite for the New Zealand summer. To complete what would become their first significant work written and recorded entirely in their home country, they rented a studio in Christchurch’s semi-demolished CBD, on one of the few remaining blocks that still characterizes the city from before it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes.
When you know it’s there, the feeling of rootedness is undeniable on Willowbank. Being connected to their origins on the bottom of the earth allowed the band’s members to craft another essential chapter in the Yumi Zouma storybook.
After a year of heavy touring in support of “Yoncalla”, the band travelled home to record in New Zealand for the first time. A limited edition cover of the Oasis album “Whats The Story Morning Glory?” was distributed on vinyl in early 2017, before the release of the band’s second album, Willowbank, in October. The sessions for Willowbank marked the first time that the group had worked together in a professional studio, with the band initially questioning whether they should “all move into separate rooms” to recreate the remote song writing process from previous records. However, the sessions allowed for stronger collaboration and more organic instrumentation compared to earlier material, leading to jazz musician Olivia Campion joining the band as a live drummer. Lead single “Depths (Pt. I)” became a success on streaming platforms, and was accompanied by a video created by illustrator Frances Haszard. Following the completion of touring for “Willowbank”, Perry left the band in order to concentrate on his Serbia-based musical project DOG Power.
Yumi Zouma’s output for CascineRecords has been nothing short of prolific. In 2014, Yumi Zouma released their debut EP, and quickly followed it up in 2015 with EP II. After releasing two more albums in successive years – 2016’s “Yoncalla” and 2017’s “Willowbank” — the band bookended their series of short-form 10″ releases with 2018’s EP III. Long out-of-print, Cascine has now re-pressed each of the EPs on their original 10″ format with new vinyl colour editions.
The beloved and long out-of-print debut EP from Yumi Zouma — an understated classic since its release in 2014 — repressed for the first time on its original 10″ format and new seaglass vinyl edition. A second repress of Yumi Zouma’s debut EP. Originally released in 2014, EP represents the world’s introduction to the New Zealand dream-pop band Yumi Zouma. Though the project has since grown considerably in profile, releasing their 2020 album Truth or Consequences, their winsome allure remains. EP features early favourites from the band’s catalogue including “The Brae” and “Salka Gets Her Hopes Up.”
Tracklisting: A1. A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers A2. Sålka Gets Her Hopes Up B1. The Brae B2. Riquelme
Yumi Zouma’s enduring and endearing second EP, newly re-pressed on its original 10″ vinyl format and new mist-coloured edition, following its original release in 2015. Originally released in 2016, EP II found the New Zealand band coming into their own as songwriters, developing their “soft-focus synth-pop” (Pitchfork) with hints of electronic piano-house pulse (“Alena”) and anthemic, movie-ready choruses (“Catastrophe”). Though the project has since grown considerably in profile (in 2020 year the band released their third full-length album Truth or Consequences), their winsome allure remains.
Tracklisting:
A1 Dodi A2 Alena A3 Catastrophie B1 Second Wave B2 Song For Zoe & Gwen
The bookend to their EP trilogy, Yumi Zouma’s“EP III” is rich with effortless atmospheres, winsome hooks and stadium-sized finishes — now repressed on its original 10″ format and new cloud-coloured vinyl edition. Since the release of their debut EP in 2014, Yumi Zouma’s evolution has been brisk and organic. In the process, they’ve won the hearts of a devoted fan base and sold out venues in the US and throughout the world. Yumi Zouma now returns with EP III, completing the trilogy they started with EPs I and EPs II.
Though the project has grown in profile, their song writing process remains the same, working across continents and timezones, with Charlie Ryder now based in London, Josh Burgess in New York, and Christie Simpson in their hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand. This new collection finds the international act stronger than ever, sculpting effortless atmospheres, winsome hooks and stadium-ready finishes.
Tracklisting:
A1. Powder Blue / Cascine Park A2. Crush (It’s Late, Just Stay) B1. Looking Over Shoulders B2. In Camera
To commemorate the re-pressing, Yumi Zouma are sharing “In Camera (Unplugged),” an alternate rework of their 2018 single recoded this winter. “‘In Camera’ was originally destined for the scrap heap” says Charlie about the original single. In 2018, as the band was pulling together the tracklist for EP III, Christie saved the demo from the cutting room floor and prompted the band to bring it back to life. The track would go on to be their most successful single across platforms and a clear fan favourite.
Re-recorded in 2020, the new stripped-back version of “In Camera” foregrounds its winsome melody with softer, organic instrumentation — piano, acoustic guitar — and culminates with a choir of voices joining on the chorus. “We wanted to record something reminiscent of The Killers’ piano-driven live sessions at Abbey Road, and bring to life the power-ballad that was secretly hiding underneath the surface,” Charlie said.
The new track and re-press news come on the heels two new releases from Yumi Zouma in 2020 — “Truth orConsequences”, and an album of alternate versions — released by our friends at Polyvinyl.
“Truth or Consequences”, Yumi Zouma’s third album and first for Polyvinyl was produced by the band and mixed by engineer Jake Aron (Solange, Grizzly Bear, Snail Mail)
Christie Simpson’s voice gives weight to whispers of impressionistic poetry, shielding hard truths with soft tones, while Burgess’ vocals reveal a rarified dimension of raw and lucid romanticism, with lead single “Right Track / Wrong Man”, in particular, exhibiting a Balearic tempo and bass-heavy energy that belies its underlying tension.
The first Yumi Zouma album to feature live drums, “Truth or Consequences” radiates a brazen spirit of perseverance.“I love the duality in a lot of disco songs, where they’re incredibly upbeat, but there’s real frustration in the lyrics – sort of like, ‘Nothing’s going the way I want, but I’ve got to deal with it any way I can,’” Simpson says.
Yumi Zouma ring in the new year with a re-press of their long out-of-print EP trilogy on their original 10″ formats. They’re commemorating the occasion by sharing a new semi-acoustic version of “In Camera.” Watch the official video, created by Josh using archival footage from 2014-2020,
A European tour is now happening March next year we’ve had to reschedule these dates from September/October this year to March 2022 – sadly due to restrictions it just wouldn’t be possible to do this tour as planned, as we’d initially hoped it might be by that time. we are so sorry to have to reschedule – but we hope you’ll come party with us across Europe when it’s safe and possible and the world is feeling a little more okay again!.
In 1978, The Clean were the seeds of New Zealand punk. In the years since, they have carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonates not only in NZ but around the world. A group that thrives when free of expectations, The Clean’s Robert Scott, Hamish Kilgour, and David Kilgour are, as Tape Op described, “a casually wonderful band.” This is a double reissue on the Merge Records label from The Clean’s ‘Unknown Country’ and ‘Mister Pop’ on vinyl. Originally released in 1996 and 2009, respectively.
“The Clean have always exuded a casual grace that suggests they’d still be making the same records even if no one was listening, employing the same set of devices ramshackle locomotive rhythms, buoyant basslines, swirling organ lines, and wide-smile melodies irrespective of prevailing fashions, technological developments, or geopolitical unrest. And yet, the Clean’s periodic resurgences serve as a reminder that, in a world of uncertainty, there are still some things you can rely on.”
David Kilgour on Mister Pop: “Mister Pop began in Brooklyn, NY, at Gary Olson’s Marlborough Farms studio and was completed in the basement hall of First Church Dunedin. There is more synthesizer on this album than the others, mainly an old Juno synth. I do remember having a bath in Brooklyn while Robert was downstairs singing and writing. I thought he was singing “he’s a factory man,” so I dried off and went down and wrote “Factory Man” while thinking heavily of The Kinks. Rainy and Geva from Haunted Love did some great work on backing vocals for “Loog” and “Dreamlife.” And old friend and longtime Clean collaborator Alan Starrett makes an appearance on “Moonjumper.”
Robert Scott on Mister Pop: “I remember thinking at the start of the NY sessions with Gary Olson, “Is this the start of a new album?” We were coming up with quite a bit of new stuff, and of course, Gary is great to work with. We carried on at Burlington St in Dunedin with (engineer and Heavy 8) Tex Houston at the controls, good fun from what I remember, lots of mucking around with keyboards and synths. We were going for that Krautrock groove and we sure got it on “Tensile,” one of my faves along with the pure pop of “Dreamlife.” “Loog” was a fun song to put together. “Asleep in the Tunnel” is written about being stuck in traffic in a tunnel under the Hudson River in NY.”
There are two notable moments of self-indulgence here, namely the hypnotic and repetitive buzzdrone of “Moonjumper,” which sounds—aptly, given the format of this re-release—a bit like a persistently skipping record, and the insistent, trippy groove of “Tensile,” which similarly gets stuck in a rut it can’t quite get out of, albeit for a much shorter time than the former song.
Still, Mister Popis a veritable demonstration of the idiosyncratic charms of these Kiwis, and a reinforcement of their rightful place in the pantheon of quirky alternative rock. Will it spur them on to make another record? We can only hope. This reissue is a timely reminder of their influence, but 22 years since it originally came out is more than a long enough wait for new music.
Though The Clean formed in 1978, in that four-plus decades the New Zealand band has only put out six full-length studio albums.Mister Pop was the last of these, first released in 2009 but only now—alongside the simultaneous reissue of 1996’s experimental Unknown Country—finding a home on vinyl in the U.S. for the first time.
In 1978, The Clean were the seeds of New Zealand punk. In the years since, they have carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonates not only in NZ but around the world. A group that thrives when free of expectations, The Clean’s Robert Scott, Hamish Kilgour, and David Kilgour are, as Tape Op described, “a casually wonderful band.”
This is a double reissue on the Merge label from The Clean’s ‘Unknown Country’ and ‘Mister Pop’ on vinyl. Originally released in 1996 and 2009, respectively. The Clean – one of the most overlooked yet influencial acts of the 1980’s with bands such as Pavement, Guided By Voices and Yo La Tengo acknowledging their debts to the New Zealand group. This track (‘Wipe Me, I’m Lucky’) comes from their 1996 release ‘Unknown Country’ (Flying Nun Records.)
“The Clean have always exuded a casual grace that suggests they’d still be making the same records even if no one was listening, employing the same set of devices ramshackle locomotive rhythms, buoyant basslines, swirling organ lines, and wide-smile melodies irrespective of prevailing fashions, technological developments, or geopolitical unrest. And yet, the Clean’s periodic resurgences serve as a reminder that, in a world of uncertainty, there are still some things you can rely on.”
David Kilgour on Unknown Country: “The Clean always wanna try something different, but on this LP, we were obsessed with the idea. Tracks like “Wipe Me, I’m Lucky” and “Franz Kafka at the Zoo” are fine examples of the approach, I reckon. Quite a long way from “Tally Ho!” and “Beatnik”!
I remember we generally left vocal ideas to last, after the tracks were recorded, so we never really knew where we were headed. Might also explain all the instrumentals! Made during the Balkan War, hence the reference. And for the freaks, I think “Balkans” is the only Clean track ever to not actually feature The Clean playing. It’s all Alan Starrett, as we removed the backing track.”
Robert Scott on Unknown Country: This album is very different from our other albums. We didn’t go into the studio with many “song” ideas—a lot of it was written on the spot. I really enjoyed recording this as it was free of expectation. We weren’t playing much live at the time. It does contain some of my favourite Clean songs such as “Twist Top,” “Wipe Me, I’m Lucky,” and “Valley Cab.” Certainly our most experimental album.
New Zealand’s Yumi Zouma continue to make beautiful, gentle indie-pop worth swooning over on album number three “Truth Or Consequences”.
Their dreamy aesthetic remains intact, but there’s a heightened sense of confidence in the group’s songwriting and the way these songs are presented that makes it stand out from their past work. Truth or Consequences stems from sessions in Los Angeles, London, and Christchurch, where Yumi Zouma actively took a collegial approach, often working note-by-note, to ensure the foundations of the album reflected a sense of togetherness.
n the early 2010s, the members of Yumi Zouma spent time together on a New Zealand street that gave its name to their first single, “The Brae.” After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed that street and much of the city, its members took off for other parts of the globe and soon began writing their first songs over email.
As a result, the band was born, and distance became a recurring theme in Yumi Zouma’s work. This makes sense given the far-flung cities the group of musicians currently call home: New York City for Burgess, London for Ryder, Wellington for Campion, and Simpson remaining in their native Christchurch. Of course, distance can also manifest metaphorically, and it’s in these figurative chasms that Truth or Consequences, Yumi Zouma’s third album and first for Polyvinyl, finds its narrative: romantic and platonic heartbreak, real and imagined emotional distance, disillusionment, and being out of reach. There are no answers, there’s very seldom closure, but there is an undeniable release that comes from saying the truth, if only to oneself.
“In the age we’re living in, there’s an emphasis on making things clear cut” says Burgess about the album’s title. “But in life and in art, nothing is ever that definitive. The truth is usually in the grey zones, and I think that’s so much of what we were trying to explore and understand on this album.”
Whilst exploring these realms, Yumi Zouma deliberately pursued a deeper sense of collaboration in order to craft a record that reflects the bond between them. Produced by the band and mixed by engineer Jake Aron (Solange, Grizzly Bear, Snail Mail), Truth or Consequences stems from sessions in Los Angeles, London, and Christchurch, where the band actively took a collegial approach, often working note-by-note, to ensure the foundations of the album reflected a sense of togetherness.
“We wanted to make the song writing process as egalitarian as possible. Completely sharing the process helped us feel like we were capturing a purer sense of atmosphere,” says Ryder.
Much like how the first moments of a new year can usher in a wave of emotions, the first notes of Truth or Consequences wash over the listener with the contemplative yet rapturous opener “Lonely After,” in which Simpson softly sings “I was embarrassed when I knew who I was, so wild and zealous and overly down for the cause.” As Burgess recalls, it’s about “that pit in your stomach when you start to question your own identity,” who wrote the first lines of the song one lonely New Year’s Eve, during the nebulous beginnings of a budding relationship.
Lead single “Right Track / Wrong Man” exhibits a Balearic tempo and bass-heavy energy that belies its underlying tension. Simpson reveals, “At the time I was living with a boyfriend who was quite lovely, but there wasn’t that passion or excitement that you imagine for yourself when you’re young. That song is about accepting that something’s not working, and deciding to just be on your own for a while.” Album centerpiece “Cool For A Second” coalesces the motif of isolation and its ensuing fallout into a letter to a past connection: Whilst on “Truer Than Ever,” the band draws inspiration from the classics to radiate a brazen spirit of perseverance. “I love the duality in a lot of disco songs, where they’re incredibly upbeat, but there’s real frustration in the lyrics – sort of like, ‘Nothing’s going the way I want, but I’ve got to deal with it any way I can,’” Simpson says.
Throughout, Simpson’s voice gives weight to whispers of impressionistic poetry, shielding hard truths with soft tones, while Burgess’ vocals reveal a rarified dimension of raw and lucid romanticism. With this being the first Yumi Zouma album to feature live drums, courtesy of Campion, Truth or Consequences is a testament to the success of the band’s approach – a unified body of melody that mines the spaces in between.
It’s a gorgeous record whose depth has only grown richer as we’ve been able to spend more time with it. As we begin to enter spring it feels only right to revisit this hopeful, loving album made by long-distance friends. I hope you put it on and take a long walk out in the sunshine.
The quaint, atmospheric synthpop of ‘Southwark’ is hugely charming, the upbeat-but-gentle rollick of ‘Cool For A Second‘ has one of the best choruses the band has conjured up yet and there’s an immediacy to ‘Right Track / Wrong Man’ that makes it immediately endearing.
Some might say there’s a vintage feel to Yumi Zouma’s brand of synth-heavy indie-pop, but it’s more of a timeless feel. These songs shimmer now and will no doubt age beautifully.
Since 2015’s GUYD The Phoenix Foundation have been writing, recording, touring with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, creating the acclaimed soundtrack for Hunt For The Wilderpeople, building shrines to light, creating scores for VR, producing other artists and baking sourdough. Now they are ready to release some more music into the swirling oblivion that is 2020
Every Friend Ship needs a Life Boat. So we have two additional songs from the album here, featuring the lovely vocals of Fazerdaze on ‘Beside Yourself’
In 1978, The Clean were the seeds of New Zealand punk scene. In the years since, they have carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonates not only in NZ but around the world. A group that thrives when free of expectations, The Clean’s Robert Scott, Hamish Kilgour, and David Kilgour are, as Tape Op described, “a casually wonderful band.”
If the Clean were motivated by anything other than a seemingly pure love of music, “Mister Pop” would have been a very different album. Since the last time the band made a record, scores of new bands have discovered the awesome early work the Clean recorded back in the ’80s and have incorporated the raw, scratchy, and energetic feel of those records into their sound. The group could have easily tried to capitalize on its newfound icon status and made an album that harked back to its early years. No one would have blamed them for cashing in; nobody would have begrudged them a few minutes of near fame. Instead, the band — still the brothers Kilgour (David and Hamish) and Robert Scott have made a laid-back, hazy, and thickly psychedelic album that sounds more like something the band might have made in the ’90s.
This is a double reissue on the Merge Records label from The Clean’s ‘Unknown Country’ and ‘Mister Pop’ on vinyl. Originally released in 1996 and 2009, respectively.
The Clean have always exuded a casual grace that suggests they’d still be making the same records even if no one was listening, employing the same set of devices ramshackle locomotive rhythms, buoyant basslines, swirling organ lines, and wide-smile melodies irrespective of prevailing fashions, technological developments, or geopolitical unrest. And yet, the Clean’s periodic resurgences serve as a reminder that, in a world of uncertainty, there are still some things you can rely on.”
Originally released in 1996, The Clean’s “Unknown Country” makes its debut appearance on vinyl . Recorded and mixed in two sessions during 1996, The Clean yet again prove to be masters of musical innovation, three guys who can only amaze when they come together and throw all their ideas down on tape. And as a mood of supreme grooviness is all-pervading on Unknown Country, this is The Clean at their most timeless.
The odd pop songs focus on the tension and the release that characteristic of psychedlic rock although Champagne and Misery stays close The Clean’s canon, Wipe Me I’m Lucky experiments shyly, and Walk Walk is warped like a cartoon soundtrack.
David Kilgour on “Mister Pop”: “Mister Pop began in Brooklyn, NY, at Gary Olson’s Marlborough Farms studio and was completed in the basement hall of First Church Dunedin. There is more synthesizer on this album than the others, mainly an old Juno synth. I do remember having a bath in Brooklyn while Robert was downstairs singing and writing. I thought he was singing “he’s a factory man,” so I dried off and went down and wrote “Factory Man” while thinking heavily of The Kinks. Rainy and Geva from Haunted Love did some great work on backing vocals for “Loog” and “Dreamlife.” And old friend and long time Clean collaborator Alan Starrett makes an appearance on “Moonjumper.”
Of this album, The Clean’s David Kilgour writes, “The Clean always wanna try something different, but on this LP, we were obsessed with the idea.” Bandmate Robert Scott agrees, saying, “I really enjoyed recording this as it was free of expectation. Certainly our most experimental album.”
‘Unknown Country’, the third LP by New Zealand indie band TheClean, was originally released in 1996. Whilst they are generally known for their jangle-pop nuggets, this sprawling masterpiece is the result of studio experimentation and spontaneous recording sessions. Gorgeous instrumental tracks such as ‘Wipe Me, I’m Lucky’ and ‘Franz Kafka at the Zoo’ are interspersed with wonky pop gems such as the Pavement-esque ‘Twist Top’. For fans of The Bats and The Chills.
On March 26th Merge Records will reissue The Clean’sUnknown Country and Mister Pop on vinyl Originally released in 1996 and 2009, respectively, this marks the first time each of these albums will be available on vinyl in the U.S. (they’ll also be available worldwide).
Robert Scott on “Mister Pop”: “I remember thinking at the start of the NY sessions with Gary Olson, “Is this the start of a new album?” We were coming up with quite a bit of new stuff, and of course, Gary is great to work with. We carried on at Burlington St in Dunedin with (engineer and Heavy 8) Tex Houston at the controls, good fun from what I remember, lots of mucking around with keyboards and synths. We were going for that Krautrock groove and we sure got it on “Tensile,” one of my faves along with the pure pop of “Dreamlife.” “Loog” was a fun song to put together. “Asleep in the Tunnel” is written about being stuck in traffic in a tunnel under the Hudson River in NY.”
In 1978, The Clean were the seeds of New Zealand punk. They carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonated not only in NZ but around the world. This fall’s Mister Pop sees The Clean continue the great pop pastiche. Circus ragas (“Moonjumper”), hazy sunset anthems (“In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul”), and the loose Dada approach to word-smithery continue alongside “proper” lyrical forays and a few Autobahn-referential instro moments to boot (“Tensile”).
The Kiwi Pop giants and lo-fi all-stars return with, incredibly, only the fifth LP in their storied career from 2009. In 1978, The Clean were the seeds of New Zealand punk. They carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonated not only in NZ but around the world.
Mister Pop sees The Clean continue the great pop pastiche. both albums are out in March, through Merge Records
The Fat Angel Sings 