Over the weekend, Squarehead quietly put out their second full-length album Respect on Bandcamp. After getting it mastered last week, the band just wanted to put it out rather than sit on it for months.
So what’s it like?
As anyone who’s been paying attention to Squarehead’s output since Yeah Nothing will know, the trio have been slowly shedding those ’60s surf-pop sounds from their ouevre (there’s no way to use that word and not look pretentious). Last year’s split LP Out Of Season, with So Cow featured five tracks from the band that showcased a more muscular sound: extra distortion and rock dynamics with more boisterous vocals from Roy Duffy, sometimes a bit of screaming too.
Where their debut was described [by me] as “no-nonsense slacker indie pop, a fuzzy collection of lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll inspired by surf-pop, old school rock ‘n’ roll and bright guitars,” Respect continues the shedding of the jangly side of the band. Upon first listen, Respect is more rockin’ overall: it’s an energetic guitar record that trashes, screams and hits harder that’s more indebted to American alternative rock from the last thirty years than eras previous. No slacking here.
Buy it at Bandcamp. The launch gig for the album takes place on Thursday in Moxie Studios with Fuck Mountain and No Spill Blood , from which, Ruadhan O’Meara contributed synths on this album. €10 BYOB.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
I absolutely love this album. It was such a pleasant surprise to hear their new meatier sound, since I felt that some heft was all that was lacking from their debut. Artistic progression at its best.