Tracks Of The Week, 19.08.15 - GigslutzGigslutz

Taken from the upcoming album Sore, Dilly Dally’s latest track ‘Desire’ is, as front-woman Katie Monks says, “an ode to the youthful part of yourself that lets you escape your daily routine and unleash whatever strange ideas you may have up there… sex, music, perfume, silk sheets & swank champagne…” Bizarre as this may sound, it’s exactly what both the track and recently released video embody.

Explosive and brash, the Toronto four-piece bring to the indie scene an unapologetic amalgamation of violence and sex. It’s taken a while – years of rotation in fact – but ‘Desire’ proves that Dilly Dally have settled on a pretty perfect line up.

With driving drum beats, simple basslines, endless fuzz and pedals and – of course – the hoarse vocals of Monks, the band (now consisting of Monks, founding member Liz Ball, Benjamin Reinhartz and Jimmy Tony) combine sheer talent with fantastic production, making for arguably the best debut in a long time.

Sore will be released on 9 October.

Whilst many bands are tricky to place in a certain genre – lines between genres are no doubt getting increasingly blurred – it’s particularly difficult with Infinity Girl. This is, perhaps, due in part to their forming in Boston, but relocating to Brooklyn.

‘Young’, taken from their upcoming LP Harm, sums this up. Keeping with the shoegaze sound that was undoubtedly present throughout their debut album to some extent, the band’s sophomore album adds a sort of post-punk edge.

They’ve managed to bring in harsher sounds, whilst never to the detriment of the soft vocal melodies; drenched in reverb but by no means short of jagged guitars, Infinity Girl ooze both haunting darkness and a sense of innocence. If this isn’t enough, a dollar from every pre-order of their album will be donated to the Direct Relief Network in Nepal, thus helping both your ears and a fantastic cause.

Harm is out on 28 August – all pre-orders will also include an Infinity Girl button!

As the weather gets gloomier, it’s the perfect time of year for Finnish indie-electro duo Ideomotor to step into the spotlight. In close succession with recent single ‘Amplified’, the band have released their latest track ‘When We Begin’, another example of their doom-riddled electro-pop.

With Clash Magazine name-checking the likes of Hurts and Pet Shop Boys, the track also seems to nod to White Lies with deep, sullen vocals and anthemic power.

Erkka Wennonen describes how the track was stripped back by producer Sami Baldauf, leaving just the minimum for the final track, finding the essence of the song. It’s no doubt worked – the track’s still clever and endlessly effective, just with no unnecessary frills. With vocals carried by perfectly balanced synths, ‘When We Begin’ is the ideal accompaniment to the fast approaching autumn months.

Bringing another shoegaze track to our favourites this week are Pinkshinyultrablast. With their latest single ‘Kiddy Pool Dreams’, the Russian four-piece combine the classic ambience of shoegaze with art/math-rock elements. There’s no shortage of new shoegaze influenced bands emerging in the new music scene, and it can be difficult to stand out – but Pinkshinyultrablast clearly aren’t about to fade into the mundane or sameness, like so many others do.

Rather, ‘Kiddy Pool Dreams’ is a true display of the intelligence behind Pinkshinyultrablast: it’s fast-paced whilst still remaining beautifully ethereal and dreamlike, mapped out to perfection without ever feeling contrived or rigid. It’s both innovative and impulsive – shoegaze with a kick.

In celebration of the single – out October 2 – Pinkshinyultrablast are heading out on a full UK Tour:

September 25 – LIVERPOOL – Psychfest
September 27 – GLASGOW – Broadcast
September 28 – NOTTINGHAM – Spankys
September 29 – MANCHESTER – Night & Day
September 30 – BIRMINGHAM – Institute Temple
October 1 – LEEDS – Brudenell
October 3 – READING – Oakford Social (FREE SHOW)
October 4 – CARDIFF – Clwb Ifor Bach
October 5 – BRISTOL – Lantern
October 6 – LONDON – XOYO
October 7 – BRIGHTON – Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
October 8 – LEICESTER – Scholar Bar
October 9 – 11 – BOGNOR REGIS – Rockaway Beach Festival