Despite the world doing everything it can to make it an unviable career choice, there are still thousands upon thousands of people still desperately trying to make it as musicians. And then, there is Somersault. A duo who label themselves as being from the North West of England, they recently played a show at Manchester’s Deaf Institute supporting Neon Indian. And that, according to the band, as well as being their debut show, could be the last time they’re ever exposed to the public – word has it that the opening up for a touring chillwave act could be the only performance the band make before giving up.
Typically understated, the band’s myspace page showcases the only material the twosome have currently recorded, and even that’s enough to get excited about. Supposedly done as it was the easiest thiong to record, Shinduku Boys offers a mere glimpse into the bewildering spectacle of seeing them live. Comprised of Michael Hart and Andrew John Hillcock, the form strums and loops his guitar whilst the latter hunches over a laptop and together they make fraught, sparse experiments in pop music that genuinely feels as though it’s pushing boundaries. There’s certainly a lot taken from Derrhunter and the various side projects that have sprouted from it, but there are just as many echoes of the likes of Gold Panda, Seams and even glimpses of latter-day shoegaze acts that it almost feels irrelevant to try and cast comparisons.
For those able to navigate the wilds of Facebook’s inbuilt music player, there’s a lot more to sink your teeth into via handful of demos recorded and uploaded via an iPhone. However, it’d be a huge shame if one of the more interesting acts to rear it’s head in Manchester was only to live on through a series of hastily recorded tracks on a mobile phone. This effort offers a slice of what might come in the future if they choose to continue – a recording contract and huge riches might not exactly be on their way, but someone should at least be able to give them a limited edition 7″ somewhere at the very least.
Somersault – Shinduku Boys
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