School Knights

Those snotty slackos School Knights have a couple new tunes floating around the ether. After the disappointing news that the fucking rad SK/Night Manager split isn't likely to materialise, it's good to hear these guys are still throwing their shit at their teenage bedroom walls. Take that, MOM! Yeah, these two tracks in particular play the Wavves card, but when the flat-brim cap fits... It's goddamn catchy, a veritable KFC bucketload of fun, plus it's a bit meatier - the duo of Michael Stein and Zack Roif are now a foursome, thanks to Morris Kolontyrsky and Ben Donehower! Radness! And it is honed (as much as this shit can be honed) with some ace tours last year opposite Ty Segall, Black Lips, Cloud Nothings, Vivian Girls and Gauntlet Hair. Yeah, I just came a little too...

School Knights - Present Tense
School Knights - Bender

Gauntlet Hair Go Chillwave On The Top Bunk

You've gotta give it to Gauntlet Hair - despite their constant pigeonholing, the Denver duo refuse to be taken seriously. Latest track 'Top Bunk' is impressive in its innate ability to capture the shimmering insularity of the "chillwave" movement (I shall refrain from this abhorrent name from here on out) whilst remaining solely live instrument based, and wearing their Animal Collective thinking caps for all to see. The skewering of the coastal sounds is of particular note. Now, I haven't heard their self titled debut (on Dead Oceans) yet - I know, I'm a bad person - but with this twist in the tale track, I'm sure their noisy pop has many other trajectories on which to travel. I think I will try to find this record today...

Gauntlet Hair - Top Bunk

Hairy Times In The Gauntlet

Gauntlet Hair make me laugh, they really do. The duo from Colorado have so many stupid-yet-awesome band photos (see above for one just pic), and they love having a stupid-arse time. It really benefits from them actually being able to kill too (evidenced by the ace 'Keep Time' which is all yours below). Its loud, its dissonant - but infusing it all with a sense of abandon more familiar with how a band like Japandroids might do an album reworking of Animal Collective's Sung Tongs. Very worthwhile, then.

Gauntlet Hair - Keep Time