Revulva - Single Review: This Town
A flute and muted trumpet herald in what sounds to be the start of a jewel-heist movie, then a cool but
suspicious voice speaks out from behind the brim of a tilted hat, leaning in the doorway; “There’s tumbleweeds on the ground, recently I’ve found, this town, is like the wild west”.
Sassy, sophisticated, and street-smart are words that spring to mind upon giving Revulva’s latest single This Town a spin. This truly talented bunch of Poneke musicians have weaved their magic and their humour through this track, and together with Surgery
Studios and Downbeat Mastering, have produced a bit of a masterpiece, I feel.
It’s a light-hearted take on some serious but relatable subject matter; dating in a small town. And let’s face it – New Zealand is a small country, so I’m sure we’ve all been there!
This Town tackles one of life’s more awkward situations with some of the cleverest lyrics I’ve come across; “He’s chasing her, she’s chasing him, I’m in the bathroom breathing out and breathing in.” At first, I took that to mean - not caring, just over here being alive and stuff … but then I realised that the breathing out and breathing in would be very measured and controlled, possibly while gripping the hand basin with white knuckles. An accurate depiction of the anxiety induced, and the self-soothing measures required to regain enough composure to get back out there and slay like a boss.
Musically the track is superb with an impossibly funky rhythm section, lively percussion and brass, topped off with very nicely arranged keys that add a rich layer of colour to the already beautifully detailed canvas. The breakdown has been dubbed the breakUP, and the singer wonders “Now that we’ve stopped seeing each other, when will we stop seeing each other?”. It’s definitely a fun time. And one that has me moving myself in a weird circular motion. Shoulders will shimmy!
The production on this is really slick, capturing all that detail, yet still managing to add more, without cluttering. Little details like having the keyboard solo sweep from right to left, and then back again on the following phrase, and the trippy delay on the vocal going into the breakdown. Massive!
Revulva are made up of Phoebe Johnson, Lily Rose Shaw, Hector McLachlan, Lennox Grootjans, Toby Leman, Olivia Campion, Zane Hawkins, Hayden Richardson, and Kaito Walley and have been playing together since 2020. Popular on the local music scene and online, Revulva have just wrapped up their nationwide 'This Town Ain’t Big Enough' tour. I’m sure they have increased their fanbase exponentially in the process, and with This Town being single no. 7 for them, Revulva are clearly a hard-working band who are planning on sticking around for a while. Check them out if you get the chance and definitely check out the single.
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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