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Always seeking proposals that challenge and ignite the senses whilst forging new invasive temptation, Swiss quartet, Coilguns, has always been a rewarding refuge and evolving adventure come trespass of noise and imagination. Unpredictability and creative intensity has as much shaped and fuelled their tracks, EPs and albums as physical intimation and intimidation and new album, Watchwinders is no exception; in fact it is the band’s most compelling, ravenous, and rousing slab of incitement yet.
With both debut album Commuters and its successor of last year, Millennials, we have come away wondering and in regard to the latter maybe doubting whether Coilguns could emulate let alone eclipse their feral majesty. We will not be allow that fruitless thought to arise with Watchwinders despite its magnificence but simply bask in its irresistible provocation and intrusive craft.
Released as all the band’s encounters via Hummus Records, the label founded by guitarist Jona Nido, Watchwinders was written and recorded during one intense month-long session, and as always with the band recorded live, and there is no escaping the instinctiveness of its breath and assault. There are moments when it is as if the band itself does not know what is coming next yet each song is a skilfully woven tapestry of sound, texture, and dissonance as fluid and earnest as it is unscrupulous verging on psychotic.
The album immediately lured unbridled attention with opener Shortcuts. For a minute and a half, Luc Hess manipulates with his galvanic senses poking beats, the vociferously presented tones of vocalist Louis Jucker just as potent in enslaving ears and appetite. In swift time the swipe of noise punk proved enslaving and only enforced its hold and drama before Subculture encryptors forced its thick and also quickly gripping body through speakers. As rhythms fall over themselves to invade, the guitars of Nido and Jucker create a sonic scourge; one only further bracing once embracing the great raw pestering of the latter’s vocals. From the abrasive flurry a just as devious calm emerges, rhythms and sonic threads a virulent nagging matched in prowess and magnetism by the vocals with the synth of Donatien Théivent carrying the same composed yet volatile enterprise, as the track revolves in rapacious noise and intent.
Big writer’s block erupts with its own contagious spite and captivation next, rhythms again at the core of its bold and vigorous creative coercion where punk and hardcore essences entangle in noise and sonic voracity. A breath taking cauldron of untamed and tense captivation it is followed by the album’s title track which eagerly uncages an esurient flood of urgency and compulsive tempestuousness in sound and emotion. The track is superb, managing to eclipse its mighty predecessors even by the brief time it takes its cyclone to slip into a bewitching oasis of magnetic voice and synth. Even so a current of rhythmic badgering escapes the agility of Hess, niggling and inviting as Jucker’s throat provides a similarly rich coaxing.
The prowling doomy presence of The Growing block view follows, the track skirting and courting the senses with its dark, heavy and evocative bait before Manicheans shares it’s twisting and turning, threat carrying drama. It is another drenched in discord bred thought and sound, a track fraught and agitated physically and emotionally with both songs effortlessly adding to the persuasive weight of the release.
Prioress is next up, an encounter haunting and staining the senses with its respective calm intimacy and drama bred turbulence. Locked away in its gripping, slightly suffocating dark defiled rapture, ears and appetite again found themselves defenceless to the band’s invention with eventual escape from the song’s creative confinement only the doorway into insatiable carnal tenacity courtesy of The Morning shower. A rapacious noise punk trespass as psychically catchy as it is emotionally disharmonious it joined its companions in easily luring us to stomp to its tune.
The unpolished, blemish embracing reflection of A Mirror bias beguiled with its singular but potent tenebrous breath with Urban reserves straight after unleashing a hardcore winded cyclone animated tempest to equally enthral and incite. With the keys of Théivent alone a portrait of fateful and predictive suggestion within the track’s tumultuous and unstable expulsion, the second of the two is the kind of infernal uproar that makes Coilguns and indeed Watchwinders so unique and addictive.
The album closes out with firstly the devouring hounding of Broken records and lastly the hypnotic seduction of Periscope. The first simply engulfs and consumes all in its path without suffocating its organic infectiousness while its successor arises upon a sonic line to draw and open up every predatory shadow and caliginous depth of false utopia and together they provide a fearsomely glorious conclusion to an outstandingly impressive release.
Once more Coilguns has left us open mouthed and lustfully devouring an album which leaves the world a better if more soiled place.
Watchwinders is out now via Hummus Records on CD and vinyl; available as a name your price download @ https://coilguns.bandcamp.com/
Full Coilguns tour dates w/ Yautja
08.11 – Paris (F) @ Espace b
09.11 – Sheffield (UK) @ Record Junkee
10.11 – Leeds (UK) @ Temple of Boom
11.11 – London (UK) @ The Macbeth Of Hoxton
12.11 – Glasgow (UK) @ Broadcast
13.11 – Manchester (UK) @ Satan’s Hollow
14.11 – Northampton (UK) @ TBA
15.11 – Utrecht (NL) @ TBA
17.11 – Gdansk (PL) @ Ziemia
18.11 – Warsaw (PL) @ Poglos
19.11 – Krakow (PL) @ Warsztat
20.11 – Wroclaw (PL) @ DK Luksus
21.11 – Berlin (D) @ Zukunft am Ostkreuz
22.11 – Stuttgart (D) @ Ju-Ha West
23.11 – Fribourg (CH) @ Hummus Fest / Fri-Son
24.11 – Lyon (F) @ La Marquise
26.11 – Clermont-Ferrand (F) @ Raymond Bar
27.11 – Angers (F) @ Jokers Pub
28.11 – Oss (NL) @ Lollipop
29.11 – Fontaine l’Evêque (B) @ MCP Apache
30.11 – Liège (B) @ La Zone
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Pete RingMaster 04/11/2019
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
Was there any specific idea behind the forming of the band and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
It is not easy for any new band to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods?
Latest single, Black Rainbow, opens up the release, its gentle melodic beginning an evocative coaxing. Soon it is building up into a creative crescendo, the lively rhythms of drummer Jon Wyatt uniting with the jangling prowess ringing from the guitars of Charles Reed and Ray Lark, with the latter’s similarly magnetic vocals swiftly adding to the catchy temptation. Already there is emotional weight and tempestuous to the track and its mental illness themed intimacy, the keys of Alex Cannon radiant smog within the textures as the bass of Chris Saldin brings firmer shape to its inherent shadows.
It is a compelling start to the release which Sentimental Lady more than reinforces. The Fleetwood Mac track similarly has a certain clamour which rises around the entrancing melodic invitation which initially preceded it. It is sonic smog as intense as it is ravening but with a composed trespass around the melodic sun which warmly beguiles before Dead Time Bummer Blues hugs and incites the senses with its luxuriant if raw breath and folkish swing. As all songs within the release there is nothing less than captivation on the agenda with the Judee Sill written track amongst the most irresistible.
Boneyard follows and as its rhythmic pulse teased ears it too soon buried itself deep especially through its guitar spun hook. Melodic entangling of appetite continued to spread from the catchy heart of the song, keys adding a crystalline glamour as Glyn’s sax teases with relish. Infectiousness soaks every note and syllable, its mellow aside as thick in imagination and temptation as the rousing swing of the tracks persistently encouraging body. Such the majesty of songs it is hard to pick a firm favourite but this has a firm hand on the decision though successor Superfifcial does its best to muddy the waters with its flirtatious teasing of sound and Bentos’ inimitable ever enticing vocals presence alongside Washington’s similarly beguiling tones. Everything about the track is simple yet skilfully conjured and offered for two and a half minutes of pure pop pleasure.