Each week reporter Jessica Myers finds rising artists that students might want to tune in to.
Who they are:
British psychedelic alt-rock band Club Kuru began as a solo-project by Bristol born classically-trained jazz pianist Laurie Erskine. After trial and error with sound and direction, he transitioned into the formation of a full, five-member band, falling into place to create oozing rhythms and euphoric tunes.
The band completed their debut album, "Giving In," last year, but due to the demolition of their studio the band had built, they had to push back the release date of their album.
The Album:
Released in 2018, the band’s debut album “Giving In” is a reflective psychedelic, alt-rock album of old and new sounds.
The first track on the 10-song album, “Giving In,” is creamy. The funk guitar sounds pair well with the laid back lead vocals. The little peeks of female harmonies towards the end of the song help build the ending, paired with synth sounds. This track is a cool, impressive first track to the album. This song is reflective of its title — it sounds like you're floating with the current, reluctantly ... giving in.
The next track “I’m Still a Man” is oozy, mellow and calming. The bass in this track really stands out, especially when it is paired with sweet, quiet guitar sounds towards the end of the song. This wavy, slightly hallucinogenic tune sounds weightless. The lyrics in this song reflect uneasiness between a man and a woman, with a lack of understanding one another.
“The Memory Junkie” starts off with altered, slow, low vocals, to cut to a groovy, reverbed guitar. The vocals in this track paired with funky guitar riffs makes this song sound melty. There are 70’s psychedelic rock sounds woven throughout this entire tune. This song’s about someone whose greatest love was now with someone else, having had moved on, and he's left alone to reflect on old memories of them together. The passion is evident in this powerful track, making it one of the grooviest songs on the album.
The opening for “Ribbons” feels like you’re floating in the air … in slow motion. This track has cool synth sounds throughout this psychedelic track, making this slower song feel like the perfect soundtrack to a daydream. The gooey, echoey vocals, paired with maraca sounds, makes this weightless song stand out. The female harmonies added in this song add a little diversity to the track, making this psych-funk track addictive.
Favorite Song:
The last track on the album, “Disappear,” opens with a phone call, followed by male voices and alluring, mermaid entrancing-esque backwards vocals. The song then slowly seeps into beautiful, Spanish-esque guitar picking. This track has enchanting female, high pitched vocals, contrasted by soft, meaningful male vocals, making this distinct song stand out from the other vocal effects used throughout the album. The song is overflowing with meaningful, sad, yet comforting lyrics, such as “It’s all moving on, don’t want to leave her behind me.” This song feels like a resort, a safe haven. “Come and rest your head on me.” This track is a gentle hug goodbye, a wonderful, tasteful ending to an overall exquisite debut album.
Conclusion:
Club Kuru’s debut album “Giving In” pours out euphoric, romantic sounds through psych-rock ballads of love and life.
Upcoming shows:
No upcoming shows.
Reach the reporter at jlmyer10@asu.edu or follow @jessiemy94 on Twitter.
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