Edinburgh based four-piece SPYYN are a very fresh face in amongst their local music scene at the moment. Forming just at the beginning of the year, the band have been in their words ‘testing the waters’ out around music venues around their hometown providing performances that portray an ambient approach to indie rock. Their ‘testing’ has clearly been successful so far as the group have featured alongside the likes of Rituals and Lost in Vancouver and have also recently announced an upcoming mini-tour alongside ANNA CONDA which will stop off in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee at the end of September (ticket link here).
SPYYN’s first release ‘DIRTY DISCO’ has received much acclaim from those in their hometown with Mockit Music mentioning, “debut single ‘DIRTY DISCO’ was a particular highlight with its atmospheric, off beat sound reminiscent of early Foals”. This atmospheric, off beat sound Mockit Music refer to is currently proving popular among many artists across the nation at the moment such as Cosmo Pyke and South London based artist Puma Blue who are also ones to watch out for in the near future for fans of ambient styled indie music. SPYYN’s second release ‘PALM’ is a strong, reputable advancement from their debut – and then some.
Released on 27th July, ‘PALM’ explores an impressive array of lush, atmospheric guitar sound in conjunction with driven bass and drum lines that produce a spacious yet lively performance from the band. Opening with a relaxed, reverb laden guitar tone similar to the likes of recent Mercury Prize Nominee, King Krule, and with the distinct sounding use of Major 7th chords, the track portrays an idyllic scene for the first 34 seconds before very quickly upping the tempo and dynamic with the introduction of drum and bass parts.
Throughout the remainder of the track, the use of guitar overdubs in the choruses and outro section along with the addition of distortion effects in the solo section work well to add further texture and depth to the track. This, in combination with a stellar and considerate drum performance, renders the indie rock style drive the band are aiming for. I mention the word considerate for the drum performance importantly as I feel that quite easily, the band could have opted for a more relaxed performance throughout – which may still have worked well. However, with the performance the drummer delivers, the song is lifted to another level which, in turn, noticeably lifts the other instruments around it showing the consideration taken from the band to work as one to deliver the best possible presentation of their material.
Lyrically, the earlier mentioned off beat sound works very well with the background instrumentation providing another layer of intricacy to the track. The likes of Morrissey have championed this off-beat style of vocal performance in the past where vocal lines appear in places that are perhaps not always expected at first to the listener. This, along with the effects placed on the vocals such as reverb and delay and the use of harmonies, particularly at the choruses, further help to portray the ambient sound that the band are pursuing throughout the track.
All in all, SPYYN are certainly ones to watch out for throughout the remainder of the year going into early 2019. The band’s ambient approach to indie rock music is fast earning them a reputation among fans in their hometown and beyond and they are certainly a band that I will personally keep an eye on for gigs in the very near future.
Song links / social media page links below:
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