30 January 2013 - 0 Comments

Popstrangers, NZ Release Shows

AUCKLAND - Friday February 22, Flagship Studios 
w/ Rackets & Deer Park
Tickets $10 from http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/ or $15 on the door 
 
WELLINGTON - Saturday February 23, Puppies Bar
w/ Tommy Ill & Deer Park
118 Tory St, Wellington. $10 on the door 
 
CHRISTCHURCH - Thursday February 28, Dux Live
w/ The Transistors and Salad Boys
 Free! 
 
DUNEDIN - Friday March 1,  ReFuel
w/ Two Cartoons & Males
$10 on the door, or $5 with Student ID

All shows 18+.


 

Joel Flyger, Adam Page and David Larson formed their band 2009 with a suite of singles for the legendary Flying Nun soon to follow. Their inherently Kiwi guitar pop is going global, with Carpark Records (Cloud Nothings, Beach House, Toro Y Moi) to release Antipodes in conjunction with Spunk. Antipodes will be proudly distributed in New Zealand by Rhythmethod and is out Friday 22nd February 2013. 
 
Recorded in the basement of a 1930's dancehall, Popstrangers’ first full-length features dissonant, claustrophobic melodies, anchored by the languid affectations of Flyger’s vocals, that bring a vintage feel to their decidedly contemporary garage rock. Channeling early Radiohead and local heroes The Gordons, 3Ds and The Chills, Antipodes further develops the band’s nuanced, distorted “pop” created and cultivated from years spent honing their craft live.

Antipodes begins with a wavering chord from a classic rock organ in “Jane,” over which the band layers gently oscillating bass, a razor-sharp guitar riff and the faintest hint of a tambourine, until the song rotates on its axis with the introduction of Flyger’s shadowy vocals enveloped in noise.

Popstrangers revel in this conflict, playing with dynamics and tempo to whip their droning melodies and tightly wound riffs into utter frenzy. Antipodes' storm breaks for “Heaven,” a song that contrasts Flyger's moody lyrics about imprisonment and escape with a serotonin hit of snappy guitars and infectious hooks. Drawing the album to a close is seven minutes of slow-burner “Occasions,” anchored by a murky bassline that eases the album to its end. Antipodes operates within a claustrophobic world of depression, captivity and dark matters of the heart, but Popstrangers anchor their debut LP's hazy gloom with earnest anticipation for contentment.
  
“’Heaven’ suggests that Popstrangers have to be studiously familiar with the structures and expectations of pop music, since the buildup sounds like the work of guys who can act like they’ve been there before.” – Pitchfork
 
“we’d more than recommend filling the months between now and then with Heaven, owner of one of one of the most killer choruses we’ve heard in a long time.” - NME

Watch the video for Heaven here 

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