Japan Review – Kvetch Sounds (Reckless Yes)
Ahead of their debut album Glasgow nu-gaze duo Japan Review release the title track from that long player with single Kvetch Sounds.
Artist: Japan Review
Track: Kvetch Sounds
Label: Reckless Yes
Released: 21 September 2021
Find it: Bandcamp | Spotify
Not everything with impact has to come from a full force sucker punch. Sometimes it is the slow burning background build which ultimately delivers the greatest hit. And that long game is what Japan Review has mastered with the second single from their debut album (the two releases sharing a name), Kvetch Sounds.
With a video from D.C. Kane over-laying vintage footage from nature and culture with effects the track has the presence of both past and future, with looping military beats and hazy yet claustrophobic clouds of synth. The sort of evangelical indulgent Americana runs deep in the imagery, while the track stalks around, keeping up the pace and letting the vocals once again sink into the instrumentation.
On the bands tendency toward and electronic element to their nu-gaze Genna Foden said, “I’ve always felt that electronic drums and arpeggiated synths were perfect companions to the glide guitars of shoegaze. It doesn’t feel like too many bands combine them – but it was an opportunity for us to explore two of our most influential genres.”
Following on from lead single Competition Winner and an earlier EP release in 2019 the band is slowly building their catalogue and their following. With a sense of introversion in what they do – plenty of space to process the energy – if you like your music to have substance yet remain somewhat sheer, if you need something more than the standard formula of shoegaze, and songs which do more than celebrate themselves then Japan Review are here for you.
Single Kvetch Sounds by Japan Review is out digitally now via Reckless Yes. The album of the same name follows on 29 October 2021 and is available for pre-order on vinyl, CD and digital now.
Find Japan Review: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp
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Disclosure: Sarah Lay is editor of Popoptica and co-founder of Reckless Yes, so has some involvement in the release of this record – but she really does only write about or work on music she loves.
Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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