Ecstatic Ephemera: Known Pleasures
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Ecstatic Ephemera: Known Pleasures
An aural moodscape for the inner post-punk in you.
Over the last few years, we’ve been experiencing a resurgence of world-class post-punk. Whether it’s Molchat Doma and their Belarusian darkwave retro-futurism, Sydney-siders Royal Headache and their achingly affectionate working-class sing-a-longs, or the harsh diatribes spewing from the mouth of Nottingham fixtures Sleaford Mods—all of these groups and more embody the avant-garde sensibilities and left-of-centre influences that make post-punk so rich and dynamic.
With this list, I’ve tried to include some of my favourite artists and albums from 2021, alongside a few up-and-comers to keep your eyes and ears on. Enjoy!
Duvel – “Hong Kong Sex Toy Store”
Duvel’s self-titled album was easily my most-listened-to album of 2021. Hands down. I absolutely adore that record and you can read all about why here. So, trying to select only one song from what I consider to be a flawless tracklist was a tall order of business. Ultimately, I decided to go with this Side-A banger right out of the gate for two reasons: 1) the video is drenched in seedy neon and it’s also cheeky in all the right ways, and 2) the track just slaps. Obviously.
Squid – “Narrator”
Social Contract – “The Floor”
Admittedly, I completely missed the release of Social Contract’s second EP, Buzzards Wake, back in March. Now, look, I can only listen to so much new music, all right? Shit is just inevitably going to full through the cracks. I am but one man. That said, when I finally did come around to it, I was completely blown away by this unassuming five-track offering. The London band’s self-contained majesty is on full display with “The Floor,” as frontman Josh Eggerton’s warm vocals drift effortlessly around driving percussive thrusts and arresting chord progressions.
Home Front – “A Bit Of Dust”
BÖRN – “Vonin Er Drepin”
Reykjavík outfit BÖRN don’t do safe and comfortable post-punk. This isn’t shameless Joy Division revivalism, folks. No “Love Cats” to be found here. On Drottningar Dauðans (Queens of Death), their second studio album, BÖRN are just as dark, claustrophobic, and frigid as the wind-swept shores of their native Iceland, with an ominous sound that splits the difference between death-rock and darkwave. After all, “Vonin Er Drepin” translates to “Hope is Dead,” so at least you know what you’re in for.
Actors – “Like Suicide”
Honningbarna – “Åh Bliss”
I included Animorphs in my roundup for this week, but I’ve been enjoying this record so much I thought it deserved another plug. From what I can gather from their minimal online presence, the Norweigian crew in Honningbarna have been doing their thing for some time, which goes a long way to explaining how polished and confident this record sounds: massive, stadium-sized indie rock with razor-sharp guitar melodies and lungfuls of super catchy, foreign language hooks. It’s a whole lot of fun and the original Animorphs was kinda dope, too.
Viagra Boys – “Creatures”
Fontaines D.C. – “Jackie Down The Line”
Last month, I detailed how Dubliners Fontaines D.C. had flown completely under my radar for so long, and how dumb that made me feel. Well, I’ve come to terms with my failures now and I’m ready to accept that I am not perfect (I know—this is my cross to bear). Thankfully, one thing that is perfect is “Jackie Down The Line,” a simplistic and ruthlessly effective throwback to ‘90s Britpop that has me all kinds of excited for the group’s forthcoming LP, Skinty Fia. This clip from their recent performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is also a perfect representation of what makes Fontaines D.C. so alluring and captivating.
Iceage – “High & Hurt”
(Read my review of Iceage’s Seek Shelter here.)
Spectres – “Northern Towns”
If there’s one thing Vancouver, BC punks Spectres are good at, it’s crafting a sticky hook. On “Northern Towns,” taken from the band’s Provincial Wake 7-inch and included on 2021’s Hindsight compilation album, frontman Brian Gustavon’s delirious register mostly sits in a plaintive pocket, gently rubbing up against and around the track’s wind-chime guitar refrain and clockwork rhythms. It’s a sound that feels at once fresh and anachronistic with subtle nods to legacy signposts like The Stone Roses, The Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen.
shame – “Snow Day”
(Read my review of shame’s Drunk Tank Pink here.)
Body Maintenance – “Sheets”
Melbourne/Naarm-based quintet Body Maintenace are another group that just dropped in my lap after the release of their self-titled 12-inch early last year. This is frantic post-punk with a goth-tinged edge: urgent, tense, occasionally glossy, and perfect for sharing some doom and gloom between friends. “Sheets” has a slightly more upbeat tone to the rest of the record, thanks to a jangly lead riff and eerie gang vocals that sound like they’re patched in from some dark seance in a grove of eldritch woods. It’s some of that real “good shit.”
True Faith – “Gestalt”
Bambara – “Mythic Love”
I first found Brooklyn’s Bambara through the hypnotic track “Serafina” from their 2020 record Stray, and, to my ear, it sounded then like Nick Cave in a time machine with all the same wisdom and an affinity for seedy narratives. Well, on the band’s forthcoming mini-LP, Love On My Mind, the story appears to sound much the same. For example, take the chorus to the album’s howling lead single:
You said, “This feeling, it’s a dog in the mud.
It’s a blade on the tip up your tongue/
It’s a bottle smashed on the head of a TV stud.
Hearing my name when you cum/
It’s the Father, the Holy Ghost, and The Son.
It’s a mythic kind of love.”
IDLES – “When the Lights Come On”
Stream the full playlist on Spotify below: