aaamusic | On 05, Jul 2010

Let me pose you a question: have you ever wondered what an indie-influenced band would sound like if it had a glitchy hip-hop undertone? While you contemplate that, the music industry will most likely coin the subgenre “glitch-hop”, and I’ll present you with Post War Years and their new single ‘White Lies’.

This affair starts with what sounds like a hip-hop track played on a broken Atari 2600, before something that wouldn’t feel too awkward being loosely described as a rock samba is played over the top, and yes, Bloc Party inspired vocals and indeed the lyrics are like a lost Bloc Party b-side. Despite the jumpy drums and backing that skips every way to Sunday before breaking into some trickling synths to finish, this is an eminently dance-able track, but one that might have trouble finding an audience outside clubs if it were the band’s only style.

The b-side, ‘Wishes’, sounds like an almost totally different band, dominated by a sombre synth buildup the overlaps itself in a mesmerising manner, and the vocals have calmed to a tranquil if slightly incomprehensible tone. As it tails off, the synth starts to stab at echo-drenched dischords in the manner of a slightly more accessible Suicide circa their first album. (Now that is a sentence I never thought I would type.)

So if you’re looking for a sonically schizophrenic fix in the wake of Bloc Party’s fading away, Post War Years might be your thing. They’re not exactly commercial-radio-friendly, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The variety to be found here is admirable, even if it occasionally feels a little too unfocused. The interest is most definitely here, let’s run with it and see where it takes us.

Author: Katie H-Halinski