"I've got a self destructive habit that I'd like to hold onto 'til the rest of me is happy..."
Push play on "Soft Attraction" and you will feel your brain smile about 20 seconds in. Not only is the big musical eruptions wildly divergent, as the music progresses with the run on lyrics that feel sort of like your smart and unique 12 year old kid who cannot stop his mind and mouth from running. The band is 5 piece Denver based indie punk band Knuckle Pups and main songwriter Oliver Holloway's ability to craft thoughtful lyrics full of starry eyed questions that feel playful, whimsical and sort of dada-istic keeps your mind a flutter and smiling. The feeling is joyful, youthful and sometimes somber in the way that you realize that life is so much bigger than you can control. There are crazy art rock ascensions that pull in heavy metal Pete Townsend like windmill chord strikes and casio-fied lo-fi synth illusions at the same time. I dig the boy /girl vox and gang vox too and the gentle strikes of math rock-ian patterns.
There is something (also) that feels almost academic about Oliver's vocal aesthetic- like he is a teacher as well as a divergent singer songwriter. I can't quite explain it and there are some bands on the tip of my tongue that have a wee bit of Sesame Street (mean this as an utter compliment) within their art punk. My brain is not working but The Evens, United States of Electronica, Jeff Rosenstock, Agitpop and even early Arcade Fire comes to mind. While I am doing a shitty job of explaining what I am feeling within this perfect sound that Knuckle Pups is fueling, it feels like a comforting hug from that one person who finally understood you in middle school.
Oh, "Soft Attraction" is from Knuckle Pups upcoming 2022 "artpunk" album.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://knucklepups.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/knucklepups/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Neks0o5ZLezjfjPp5eaNu
Five-piece Denver band: Knuckle Pups, brings a DIY ethic to melodic indie-punk songs. Principle songwriter, Oliver Holloway, crafts contemplative, yet playful lyrics. Sung over thick vocal harmonies on top of catchy song structures. The calculated arrangements of the band serve as an emotional reflection of the raw lyrical subjects and visceral imagery. The songs effortlessly traverse between sweet indie-pop hooks to swelling punk crescendos.
Knuckle Pups, Indie Rock, art rock, art punk, math rock, Denver, 5 piece, "Soft Attraction", calculated arrangements, emotional reflections, singer songwriter, Oliver Holloway,
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