Much of the music word has spent the past few weeks discussing all things Pixies; their new single, the departure of Kim Deal, the announcement of a world tour including UK dates, and now the news that Deal's replacement will be Kim Shattuck of The Muffs (we're calling this good news, The Muffs are ace). The reason for all this interest is that over two decades on from their most famous work, that band's influence is still felt so widely. London quintet Bête Noire submitted their debut single with just two lines of information: who they are, where thy're from and a list of influences. So you know who one of those is, the others they cite are The Chameleons, Magazine (both of which fit well, there's a definite post-punk thing going on here) and also Stereolab and Serge Gainsbourg, both of whom are less obvious on these two songs.
Having a diverse range of influences like that is usually a good thing, because although we're talking slightly gothic post-punk, the fact that they listen to music that's quite far removed from this sound potentially opens doors for them on future releases. This is only their first release don't forget, so who knows where they'll go next? We're given two very good songs here too. 'Shut Your Mouth' is full of confidence and the mix is well considered. Although this is the lead track, it might be B-side 'Out & Proud' that shines brightest, and this is down to the combination of chiming guitars, a rumbling bass that roots the song while adding fluidity, and distinctive vocals that are predominant in the mix. Having a great chorus doesn't do any harm either. A promising introduction.
Bête Noire's website
Buy the single
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