22 Dec 2024
Revulva - Single Review: One Puff Wonder
15 Mar 2022 // A review by Corinne Rutherford
Revulva are an eight-piece band from Wellington who describe themselves as “nu-wave, nu-jazz, nu-pop”. A
jazzy-pop octet who have just released their third single One Puff Wonder, which follows on from debut singles Sniffy Lady and Turning Out and builds on the foundation for their up and coming EP Girls Gotta Eat, set to be released late March 22.
Revulva are an eight-piece band from Wellington who describe themselves as “nu-wave, nu-jazz, nu-pop”. A
jazzy-pop octet who have just released their third single One Puff Wonder, which follows on from debut singles Sniffy Lady and Turning Out and builds on the foundation for their up and coming EP Girls Gotta Eat, set to be released late March 22.
One Puff Wonder is a story about pretending to smoke, which I didn’t even think was a thing in 2022. The motivation behind the song is the infamous San Fran balcony on Wednesday
evening in Wellington. Behind the light-hearted delivery of this song is a thought-provoking message.
Revulva have a groovy, jazzy sound offering multiple textured layers which only a full band can deliver. One Puff Wonder gives you a complete jazz/blues flavour, it cruises along smoothly a perfect accompaniment for Phoebe Johnson's melodic undulating vocals and brilliant horn section.
I would be showing my age if I said, it took me a few listens to grab the vibe of the track, I had never heard of nu-jazz or nu-pop and last time I indulged in “pretend smoking” ‘was way back in the mid-eighties sitting in a tree when I accidentally inhaled and fell out from dizziness. Having said that One Puff Wonder is fresh and funky with a certain sassy appeal.
There is no doubt Revulva are a talented bunch of musicians who offer up a modern take on traditional jazz/pop combining ultra-cool and cohesive instrumentals, original engaging lyrics, and warm soothing vocals. One Puff Wonder is mixed by Toby Lloyd of Tiny Triumph Recordings and mastered by Chris Chetland of KOG Studios.
Rating:
( 4 / 5 )
About Revulva
Described by Rolling Stone Australia as “strangely alluring,” the femme-fronted eight-piece formed in Wellington under the de facto leadership of the composer, lyricist, bassist and vocalist Phoebe Johnson in 2019. Since then, Johnson and her clown van full of hyper-busy musical collaborators, Lily Rose Shaw, Toby Leman, Hector McLachlan, Kaito Walley, Lennox Grootjans, Mysty Cooke, and Zane Hawkins, have won over bar, nightclub and festival audiences across New Zealand.
Taking cues from Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Jamiroquai, Steely Dan, Herbie Hancock, Minnie Ripperton and Prince, Revulva reimagines the anything-goes energy of New York City’s 1970's downtown scene and London’s 1990's funk and soul renaissance through an antipodean lens informed by the deadpan humour and the realities of 21st-century life in New Zealand. The result is a hedonistic whirlwind of acid jazz, avant-funk, disco, AOR and art-pop, where polished playing leaves room for improvisation in the heat of the moment, and real statements come bundled up with just enough laughs to soften the snarl.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Revulva
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