Yes, it’s a terrible name, but maybe that’s what a band needs to stand out on the Spotify playlists where they’re most likely to be discovered these days.
It does also sum up the dreamy, post-coital sounds of Greg Gonzalez’s Texan band, who formed in 2008 and have taken some time to arrive at their strict monochrome aesthetic: reverb-heavy guitars, mumbled, personal lyrics and black-and-white photos of naked bodies on their single sleeves.
An EP from 2012, minimally titled I, was rediscovered in 2015 when Gonzalez finally followed it with a new song, Affection. That song and the early track Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby now have YouTube view counts in the tens of millions, the band are close to selling out Camden’s sizeable Roundhouse and they haven’t even released their debut album yet.
That self-titled release is out next week and is a bit of a one-trick pony, but the hazy atmosphere it creates is an ideal soundtrack for certain situations. See if you can think of one.
Nov 20, Roundhouse, NW1 (0870 389 1846, roundhouse.org.uk)