ninehertz

This is the first time I've heard Mazes. They did a rather funny article which is spot on about being in a band and doing your thing DIY here.

Recent press on them suggests their first album A Thousand Heys was a pop-rock affair and states they have recently discovered krautrock and its motorik and bleak charm. Well that's obvious from a single listen, but forget any notions of freeform stuff like Can or the controlled chaos of bands influenced by them like The Fall. No, think Harmonia minus the keys and with a restrained indie feel. It's not cool, its not daring but it's somehow pleasing on the ear. Vocals are understated but have a recognisably British sound and match the relaxed pace at which these songs move. Guitars pick out a quiet, but focused path and the repetitive yet delicately-complex thing works well. Could this be a totally unique sound we're hearing? Very possibly as I cannot for the life of me compare this to anything I've heard before. There's influence here from recent questionable lo-fi stuff like Darwin Deez or the twee loveliness of bands like Best Coast but it remains standing on its own two feet.

Songs like Delancey Essex shine with a sunny disposition but remain calculated in their simplicity and the krautrock influence shines through particularly on the likes of Bite and the title track. Take this alongside recent reviewees Mender and you have the strange future of alternative music, inventive and aware of its surroundings it has an addictive charm all of its own.

Investigate, if only to keep a close eye on what music sounds like in 2013, too often we can get bogged down with sounds of the past, to hear something like this is to know the future.