Recorded across two sessions with Matthew Scott of Glasgow’s broken-hearted lo-fi darlings PAWS, this four-track EP is the first release from Scottish noise-poppers Garden of Elks and it’s fair to say that the emphasis is most definitely on the ‘noise’ part of the equation.
‘Surfer Boy’ is an old-fashioned punk chug in the vein of a boy-girl Dead Kennedys while the howl of “I used to die but I lived somehow” on ‘Contented Contender’ brings to mind Iggy Pop.
They’ve got the fire of Sleater-Kinney and a hand full of great lines like “I could be your hair spray queen, your tangerine dream/you’re cruel but you keep me keen” on ‘Limpy the Javelin Thrower’ but although Scott’s muddy production lends a grubby lo-fi authenticity – you can really hear the sound of fingers on strings – it leaves the listener questioning whether there’s actually a melody worth delving for.
‘Mountain Dew’ sounds like something from Sonic Youth’s Goo but you suspect that while Garden of Elks may have mastered guitar blowouts and off-kilter vocal interspersions they’re yet to convince that they’re masters of actually writing a tune.
Words: Max Sefton
