My morning started with a splitting headache, the product of a night spent drinking out of necessity rather than out of enjoyment. We all know vodka goes off after you open it, right? This means that today’s article won’t be about a shoegaze band, nor will there be any fuzz pedals, drum rolls or squealing vocals. The impaired physical state that my brain is in has turned me inevitably to music’s answer to wearing a cardigan in summer and ordering tea at a coffee shop – dream folk.
And where better to source my musical hangover cure than from the paradise across the Tasman, where the rivers run clear with Antipodes sparkling mineral water, the wind in the trees whistle the Lord of the Rings theme song and Brett Mackenzie delivers the mail. French For Rabbits are the dreamy product of Wellington’s temperate climes and shun the electric Flying Nun aesthetic (which I assume all of NZ worships) for a more Pacific Northwest opinion on folk music, akin to the structures of Mount Eerie with the undersea reverberated grace of The Antlers.
Claimed by the Sea opens to a landscape of lush acoustic guitar and Brooke Singer’s beautiful half-whispered vocals, the song building on the theme with undercurrents of unidentifiable noise and organ tones – exactly what dream music should be about. Goat rocks you slowly to sleep with a sleepy lead guitar and brushy percussion which builds into a semi-choral tidal wave, threatening to delve into the realm of Triple J playability. Luckily, the wave breaks before it can do any damage to the band’s credibility and the single ends on a charming lethargy.
Incredibly, this is a duo from the beach suburbs of Wellington. When we in Sydney think of beach + folk, we think of well trimmed beards, guitars bought with parent’s money and an inability to play barre chords. We think of weak voices and thin strings, we think of bad songwriting and good brand marketing. We think of shameful support acts for internationals like Okkervil River and Bright Eyes. We think of Boy and freakin Bear. More anchors away than Home and Away, more seafaring than surfing, whatever New Zealand’s beach culture is doing, it’s doing it right and producing an attitude towards music that should be cultivated among the beaches over here.
The duo are about to embark on a North Island tour, the dates of which are listed below. For now, check out their bandcamp and navigate your way through the collection of songs the duo have accumulated over the last two years. Highly recommended for the hungover.
Jan 23 – Puppies, Wellington
Jan 25 – The Hill Top Tavern, Christchurch
Jan 30 – The Penguin Club, Oamaru
Jan 31 – The Darkroom, Christchurch
Feb 01 – T.O.A.D. Hall, Motueka
Feb 02 – Fairfield House, Nelson
Feb 06 – Okere Falls Store, Rotorua
Feb 07 – Wine Cellar, Auckland
FIND OUT MORE
▲ FACEBOOK ▲ BANDCAMP ▲ BLOG
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Read our piece on how to promote your band here.
