headboy and the tightly wound floating snap of "Alligator"

 

"yeah, I know it's working, when you show your teeth..."

"Alligator", by London lowercase indie trio headboy, like the crocodilian reptile is is metaphorically named after is shifty, can be stealthy, slippery but strikes before you know it. Mars West's guitar sound is underwater dreamy, bending and sliding but has punch like Mars' vocal aesthetic. I sense a bit of snarky self awareness, lips that turn up in a crooked smile before the bite. The bass slithers too (I am fully invested in the alligator reference now). Jess Collins bass moves are every shifting up and down the neck and I love the high double time work during the chorus. She is so deftly building sounds n an ‍Entwistle-ian way that the maneuvers feel understated and chill even though they are not. The complexity feels / reminds me of stand up bass jazz fused embellishments. Similarly, Oli Birbeck's controlled frenetic drum splashes creates a percussive density that acts as anchor and hook. 

 headboy has this to say about "Alligator":

“Alligator” is an apathetic take on ‘regret and the frustration of not being able to hold onto a feeling beyond the moment you feel it in’ singer Mars West (they/them) explains. The backwash of guitar feedback throughout reflects the song's 'dreamy sense of rumination and murky reflection.'  

Curious, acerbic lyrics and dark / light deeply connected musicality is so entrancing that I can't stop listening to headboy. 

-Robb Donker Curtius

headboy · Alligator

THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:

https://headboyband.com

https://www.facebook.com/headboyband

https://twitter.com/thatheadboyband

https://open.spotify.com/artist/26ZU45v9N0ae1KEzSpnPJL

https://www.instagram.com/headboyband/

headboy traces back to uni contemporaries Mars and Oli meeting Jess through their local football team. Moving into a Hackney Wick sub-let together in lockdown proved to be the catalyst and the trio haven’t looked back since: earning a reputation for their energetic shows at The Windmill and sharing bills with Goat Girl and Porridge Radio - supporting the latter at a sold out Village Underground.

The trio's music taps into a wider story too, of pandemic-hardened DIY communities pitching together to protect much loved haunts and grassroots venues across the capital. A new, inclusive and sonically diverse indie movement is emerging in London; and headboy are thriving within it.

headboy are:

Mars West - vocals, guitar (they/them)

Jess Collins - bass, backing vocals (she/they)

Oli Birbeck - drums (they/them)

We get by with a little help from our friends

 headboy, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, London, trio, post punk, shifting beats, reflective sounds, glimmering guitars,   "Alligator",