New Music: Basement Revolver - Baby

Here’s some good news:

1. Canadian trio Basement Revolver have a new single out.

2. It’s good.

3. They’ve got an album on the way as well. It’s due on August 24th and it's called Heavy Eyes.

4. They’re in the UK next week to play Brighton’s Great Escape and there will be a preview of that on Breaking More Waves with all the essential tips and recommendations pretty soon.

Now admittedly ‘it’s good’ isn’t a particularly great piece of music journalism (but then you don't come here for music journalism do you?) nor does it give much context or even entertain – all of those things that music writing is meant to do. 

So let’s expand just a little and tell you why it’s good. 

First, because it’s one of those tracks that sounds best turned up loud. The guitars are all gritty, fuzzy and slouchy, sounding like they’ve been waiting around at the bus stop for a while, got a bit bored and have decided to annoy the nearby residents. But the residents won’t be able to get that cross because Chrisy Hurn’s voice is so stirring and seemingly limitless that they won’t be able to do anything but be charmed. Besides they might be fans of beautifully weary sounding indie rock. 

Secondly, because it feels cathartic. And for me music is as much about feeling as it is about technical quality. By the end you’ll find yourself being swept away by the sheer dynamism of it. “It’s about feeling confused about what I want in life, and how that affects other people. It is about crying a lot and feeling like I was burdening my partner with those questions and not wanting him to feel like he was the source of my anxiety,” says Chrisy. 

This one is epic and emotive. In other words, it's good. Turn the volume up when playing.

Basement Revolver - Baby

New Music: Introducing - Basement Revolver

I first came across Basement Revolver when Chris from The Metaphorical Boat posted about them a few days ago and gave the almost inevitable comparison to the band Alvvays. 

Johnny, the debut effort from this Ontario based trio is all about rough distorted guitars that sound like they're being struck with almost nonchalant anger and a pretty pop melody over the top. I'll always be a sucker for a hooky tune, so this one grabbed me immediately.

Once again the process of songwriting is used here in a cathartic form, the lyrics dealing with a past relationship. What would writers do without them? Maybe I should try it with this blog and write about some ex-girlfriends. How about ‘Ex-Girlfriends and the music they liked?’ There would be quite a few records by The Smiths in that feature. In fact the chorus of this song sounds exactly like the sort of thing those ex-girlfriends might love, as it wallows about in angst. "It's a really bad time right now'" lead vocalist Chrisy Hurn tells us. It's another opportunity to enjoy other people's misery.

Oh, and talking of misery, look at those poor plants in that picture. They could do with some water.

Basement Revolver - Johnny