Dig ‘in: Seatbelts, Camp Cope, King Hannah, Our Lady Peace
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
Seatbelts - A World Inbetween (Picadilly Records LP)
While contemplating a new artistic outlet after honing their craft in Hooton Tennis Club, Ryan Murphy and James Madden had a libation-fueled phone call that eventually led them to trying to spell ‘The Beatles’ backward. Flustered by the absurdity of it all, they settled on ‘Seatbelts’ a the closest approximation, which then stuck as their new band name. The pair reached out to fellow Liverpool denziens Abi Woods (vocals/keyboards/guitar) and Alex Quinn (drums/percussion) to round out the group. Seatbelts are just as likely to cite literary (Vonnegut, Miller, Steinbeck) and film (Godard, Truffaut, Leigh) inspirations as they are to point out musical ones (Go-Betweens, Talking Heads, Lee Hazelwood). Unsurprisingly, their material is a combination of heady pop with diverse stylings and gorgeous instrumentation. Their debut LP, A World Inbetween, collects some prior material that initially surfaced on EPs that the band released since their 2018 inception along with new compositions for a ten song effort that’s consistently engaging. A few of the tracks originated from a recording session with Edwyn Collins of Orange Juice at his Scotland studio and others back in Liverpool with Chris Taylor (Our Girl, The Coral). Both engineers do a fine job in capturing the whimsy and wistfulness of a group that has a head full of ideas and the smarts to fully execute them. -Bruce Novak
Camp Cope - Running with the Hurricane (Run For Cover LP)
A lot has changed for Camp Cope since 2018's How to Socialise and Make Friends, For one thing, the pandemic spread band members across Australia, for another, lead singer/primary songwriter/guitarist Georgia Maq has fully embraced her longtime love of pop music. Camp Cope are still vulnerable, but they've moved beyond the rage with society and the music scene that permeated their first two albums to a gentler sound. Maq's exploration of pop music truly started to emerge on her 2019 solo debut album Pleaser, a time during which she took vocal lessons to learn how to sing without hurting her voice. What has emerged is not quite punk and not quite pop, it's truly her own. Kelly Hellmrich melodic basslines and Sara Thompson propulsive drumming still round out Camp Cope's new songs, but whereas there was fury before, there is hope now. Camp Cope will be featured at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival playing on Friday, July 15th. -Mark Joyner
King Hannah - I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me (City Slang LP)
A year ago, Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle tapped into Bruce Springsteen’s iconic Nebraska to release a cover of “State Trooper” that they recorded from their spartan home studio. Much like how Terrence Malick’s Badlands film portrayal of the Charles Starkweather/Caril Ann Fugate killing spree provided the framework of Springsteen’s stark and desolate album, Merrick and Whittle were drawn to its visceral elements. In crafting the follow-up to their 2020 Tell Me Your Mind and I’ll Tell You Mine EP, the pair decided to strip things down even further by pairing back on the layered textures of the previous recording. The new album captures the feeling of wandering amidst the high plains; where solitude and existentialism creep into consciousness. Merrick’s vocals are haunting and forlorn, framed appropriately by Whittle’s simmering and judicious fret work. The sound is evocative and immersive compelling listeners to open their ears, close their eyes and take a leap into the great unknown. -Bruce Novak
Our Lady Peace - Spiritual Machines II (Shelter Music Group LP)
Our Lady Peace’s original Spiritual Machines album released in the year 2000 capped off one of my favorite 4 album runs of all time. The albums that followed have generally left me less enthused and often disappointed. So when OLP announced that they were releasing a sequel this year titled Spiritual Machines II, I was both excited and concerned. While the second Spiritual Machines album doesn’t have the highs of the first album (songs like “Life,” “Are you Sad” and “Middle of Yesterday”), it does have some of the most interesting songs that OLP have released since that time period. The album starts with “Stop Making Stupid People Famous,” which features Pussy Riot and has a funky feel with an immediate hooky guitar riff. Some other stand-out tracks include “Holes,” “Wish Your Well” and “Future Disease.” If you haven’t listened to OLP in awhile then Spiritual Machines II is a solid place to jump back in. -Ross Tolinski
UPCOMING
Pool Holograph
Where: Schuba’s / Directions
When: April 3, 7:30 PM
Wyatt Grant acknowledges that his music has evolved from its diary confessional-based origin to a broader outside-looking-in perspective, which is understandable considering he started Pool Holograph as a solo endeavor. His occupation as a graphic and visual artist have also contributed to supplying the music with rich imagery and interpretative openness. Abetted by the talents of Paul and Jake Stolz (Central Heat Exchange, Varsity, Discus) on guitar, piano & drums, and Zach Stuckmann on bass, Pool Holograph have further pursued an expressionist direction. While there’s an undeniable Deerhunter influence (with Grant growing up around Memphis and identifying with their southern indie traits), the group also cites Broken Social Scene, Pylon, and Flying Nun artists (Chills, Clean) as having significant impacts on their musical and thematic choices. The show will be a homecoming of sorts for Grant who now resides in Asheville, NC after coming to Chicago for college and being immersed in its art scene thereafter. -Bruce Novak
Peel Dream Magazine
Where: Sleeping Village / Directions
When: April 6, 8:00 PM
With a band name that hints at the adventurousness of the legendary BBC DJ coupled with the haziness of a rapid eye movement sleep state, PDM’s allure typically resides below the surface. While melodic in origin, a lot of band leader Joe Stevens’ songs progress at an unhurried pace and are given to cycles of repetition. His vocals are buried a bit in the mix, serving as a textural component and adding opaqueness to the overall palette. The end result elicits a blissful state of mind as the music rolls over you in waves cycling between inertia and retreat. -Bruce Novak
Bad Cop/Bad Cop
Where: Beat Kitchen / Direction
When: April 13, 7:00 PM
I fucking love Bad Cop/Bad Cop and you should too. Stacey Dee (guitar & vocals), Jennie Cotterill (guitar & vocals), Linh Le (bass) and Myra Gallarza (drums) play high-energy, fast and melodic punk rock. They hail from Southern California and they are badass in all the right ways. Just take a listen to their last two albums—The Ride (released in 2020) and Warriors (from 2017)—and you’ll be convinced. And take my word for it, they are even better live. The Beat Kitchen is going to be smoking hot (I hope they fixed their fans), so spend the $14 for a ticket. I’ll see you all there! -Tom Novak
UNCOVERED
Fire Engines - Hungry Beat (Acute Records compilation)
Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland contributed to Fire Engines being less visible than post-punk contemporaries The Fall, Gang of Four, Public Image and the like. But there were also other factors that kept them under the radar. They dismissed the use of barre chords and cymbals in their music, and performed live sets that never surpassed twenty minutes. Some of their primary influences were non-traditional artists, like Captain Beefheart and James Chance & The Contortions. Originally pursued by Alan Horne, who co-founded Postcard Records with Edwyn Collins, they instead came aboard with Bob Fast on his Pop Aural imprint. With their primitive, dissonant sound, Fire Engines were first rate provocateurs. Getting an earful of their song “Meat Whiplash,” it’s easy to envision why Jesus and the Mary Chain’s Reid brothers were so besotted with their fellow Scots. Franz Ferdinand were in attendance when Fire Engines came back to support The Magic Band (Beefheart’s original backing group) for some Edinburgh shows in 2004, invited them to open for their own tour and shared a split single with each group covering a song from the other’s catalog. This renewed notoriety helped pave the way for the Hungry Beat compilation which collects Fire Engines’ sole LP and singles that had long gone out of print. It makes for a fascinating collection, culled from a time when musical conventions were being widely challenged under the maxim that “nothing is true; everything is permitted.” -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: