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GONK GONK GONK GONK. GONKGONK GONK GONK.
*Greg’s Dad talking in the background*
congratulations kick off their latest offering, ‘Junk’ from bassist Greg’s childhood bedroom, where during a visit, he happened upon his first electric drum kit, discovering a wealth of terrible drum sounds. “Terrible in the best way possible! It sounded like junk…”
‘Junk’ moves fearlessly between styles, shifting from razor sharp, heavily percussive verses, into a groovy, funked up and shamelessly pop chorus, before climaxing with a screeching finale and then proceeding to fall apart in the chaotic break ending.
“Cut all your hair… and throw out your clothes” Leah and Jamie’s characteristic girl/boy vocals chant as Greg and James sweetly provide counter harmonies, reminding us we are free to look and dress as we like, none of it really matters.
As you’d expect from the Brighton 4-piece, congratulations refuse to sound like any one genre, blending an eclectic mix of music tastes and genres; “I was deep in my annual Prince and Chic phase- that’s where the chorus came from… we were playing around with the spicy, funky chords those folks might have used” says guitarist Jamie, “It’s a real contrast to the rest of the song, where the fuzz pedals come out and we really go for it”.
Each member is able to demonstrate their musical prowess, heard in the wild, frenetic riffs and melodies from Jamie Chellar and Greg Burns, the syncopated thunder of James Gillingham’s drum patterns, and most notably Leah Stanhope’s masterful vocals, which act as the glue holding the song together, ranging from snarls to smiles, and culminating in a blistering screaming fit.
‘Junk’ is the first single from congratulations’ forthcoming EP ‘Woo Hoo!’ and, like their previous releases, was recorded and produced entirely by the band, with the exception of mixing, where they enlisted the ears of close friend and multi instrumentalist Luke Phillips, of Icebeing and Clay Monke fame. Working out of sheds and bedrooms, the band are meticulously involved in every aspect of writing and recording. “We have no money” comments James “So we’ve got to be creative in the way we do things, and it’s worked out well because we get to do things our way and work with our friends”.
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