In April of this year, Leeds-based independent Beech Coma assembled some of their favourite bands together and formed ‘Vol.1’, a compilation that not only exposed some innovative and compelling music all on two sides of a tape but expressed general emotions of youth and naïvety through a warm and delicate yet exciting lo-fi pop sound. Three months after the announcement of the sold-out tape, ‘Vol.2’ is set for release on 1st September.
Once again bringing some of Brighton’s novel acts to the field, including alt-supergroup Abattoir Blues (members of The Magic Gang and Birdskulls take a completely different shape from both), Hella Betta Dancer (Soph Nathan and Lazy Days‘ Tilly Scantlebury-included trio) and Breathe Panel, BC have scouted out some of the best lo-fi fuzz coming out of the city at the minute, and doesn’t just set up camp there.
Norwich is home to Teen Brains, a duo formed of Jack Palfrey and Tyler Darrington, last heard previously making up 2/3rds of the quite contrasting Important Things. The first we found from them was the instantly catchy, lo-fi cry-out ‘Annabel‘, three minutes of beach-pop with Cure-esque progression and a dream sheen. They’ve returned once again, bringing with them a track for ‘Vol.2’ in ‘Flume’.
Drenched in The Jesus & Mary Chain reverb and not unalike the output of DIIV’s ‘Oshin‘, the duo pour ethereal harmonics over hypnotically-paced crashes of drums, slowly the tempo mightily in comparison to ‘Annabel‘ to create a late 80s indebted Dream-Pop listen. As minimally as it’s been recorded, the two-minutes feel spacious, able to breathe with each layer of angular melody and gloomy bass. Darrington’s verse, bathed in echo, murmurs shyly throughout it’s appearance, a voice seeking escape as his low-bellows wallow under the track’s coursing nature.
‘Vol.2’ is set to be another journey through youthful human emotion, perhaps a darker side leading into the coming months yet in no way losing anything from doing so. Teen Brains have provided an infectious and somewhat secretive present that we look forward to opening as they prepare their debut EP.
Beech Coma ‘Vol.2’ is set for release on 1st September, tapes available for pre-order here. Listen to ‘Flume’ below.