A return to the band’s sophomore long player, Definitely Band, these two remixed stereo outings give clear reminder why the original album was such a breath of fresh air in the first place when it powered out of the block back in 2018. Its original, tight mono mixes have been given a full stereo reimagining here and their halcyon headphone perspectives are enough to leave you breathless. And certainly wanting more!
A U.S post-punk, E.L.O-evoking, power-pop juggernaut, Radio King feels on the surface like straightforward song-smithery as the opening bars begin to take shape but it’s anything but – as jangling guitars take unexpected, shifting directions held in compositional tact by that Elf Poweresque vocal melody. It’s a delight and musically tight as a butcher’s knot and feels both warmly nostalgic whilst clearly laying defiant claim to new sonic ground. If I’m writing as if this is a completely new song that is not an editorial error- this feels like a buoyant new arrival.
The influence of pop-punk, 90s jangle, emo and even Elvis Costello seem as apparent as their professed love of the Beatles but influences or inspirations are only as important as what you do with them and Curling are more than just a pair of safe hands shaping old worlds, they’re sculpting something deliciously new from their gathered sonic ingredients. What they do so seemingly effortlessly, certainly naturally, is to take the tropes of mainstream broad-appeal song craft but deliver it through an utterly precise and ambitious approach to structure and form- which sits below the surface polish like an alien skeleton. It’s music that dances with surface whilst delivering depth. It’s a rare skill. And one that takes time to fully appreciate.
Mallow allows the band’s absurdly tight rhythm section to show its magnificent chops, drums skittering in complex but unrelentingly crisp shapes between the pop psyche warble of the opening bars – before the noise-walled broad horizons of the production flood the senses. Olivia Tremor Control evoking pop morphs into something quite different entirely- a noughties pop-punk radio edit fracturing through a shattering lense- kaleidoscopic indeed! This is, on the one hand, air-wave friendly music with mass appeal whilst on the other offering something far more nuanced, complex and arresting.
For old friends, this will be an intriguing new opening of previously well-thumbed pages. For those not familiar with Curling’s deliciously erudite guitar pop, it’s a welcome chance to fall in love with it.
Written by M.A Welsh (Misophone)
Music | Misophone (bandcamp.com)
