5 Tewns Vol.18

Read Time: 3 mins

Another week, another collection of random tewns that have been rolling around my head. This week features lo-fi spass from The Bug Club, plucky psyche-folk from Otto Benson, the expansive chug of Craven Faults, hyperpop luciousness from Decisive Pink and the epic cosmic synth of 4-D Traveller.”

Otto Benson – Mr. Peanut

I love the psychedelic cartoon world of Otto Benson. A place where everything has a warm and warped quality. The cheeky walking bass, the wow and flutter, the plucking, warbling guitar line. It all has a woozy, otherworldly feel to it.

4-D Traveller – Britain In The 5th Century

Haunted synthetic brass, loooong-monophonic bass and luscious VHS distortion is the order of the day. I love listening to this one when I’m staring out at the mountains in the distance, or walking around the forest. I’m a spectral knight, on a cosmic quest up the hill to buy Pastel de feijão with my two dogs in tow like charity shop Cŵn Annwn. It’s all very heroic.

Craven Faults – Tenter Ground

The drums on this one are absolutely inspired. The way they shift between single and double time every few beats gives the music an almost drunken stumbling feeling. The synths ripple around this inebriated skeleton, glued together by the bass lick, which is reminiscent of Gary Numan’s Music for Chameleons. It’s like Eno and Byrne, but with a colder industrial edge.

Decisive Pink – Voice Message

Angel Deradoorian and Kate NV’s Decisive Pink project is a wild and weird adventure through cosmic synth, hyperpop and avant-garde. It’s incredibly tough to pick a favourite if I’m honest, but I’ve plumped for Voice Message this week. Short as it is — only 1:45, it has a lot of soul. I wish someone would send me voice messages like this.

The Bug Club – Have U Ever Been 2 Wales?

Anyone who knows me knows I have been to Wales, and it is good. I care deeply about daffodils and beautiful voices and can therefore confirm this song by the Bug Club to be 100% truthful! The fact that the count-in goes “Un-Dau-Tri-Four” cracks me up, too. This is brilliant, irreverent pop music that reminds me of lying in my bed, in Borth, hungover or drunk, much younger and hotter than I am today, listening to John Peel. He’d have played this one for sure, god rest his soul.