Draw a line between The Seeds ’60s psychedelic garage rock and overdriven ’80s college rock bands such as Dinosaur Jr. Then another at right angles to it that links the brooding pop of The Cure with the gothic laced indie of more recent bands, perhaps Interpol or The Editors. Where those lines meet, you have an interesting sound, and, more importantly, you are not a million miles away from the one that Koalra makes on their new single, “In a Weird Way.” Well, you are least in their sonic ballpark.
But that is one correct way of getting to their sound, a sound that is full of gorgeous yet abrasive textures and masterful and muscular tones. You could head for a door marked “noise-rock” and, at the last minute, take a sharp left into a corridor leading to the kosmiche and motorik sound of krautrock. Or you could just paint it with the broad brush that is post-rock and leave it at that.
However, you get there—do get there. There, you will find fuzzed-out finesse and overdriven anthemics—music that is both big and clever. And if last year’s Disasterclass album was built around slightly smoother and more subtle musical blends, “In a Weird Way” is the sound of Koalra roughing things up, leaving the sharp edges exposed, and coating themselves with the sonic equivalent of iron filings and razor wire. Nasty! It is more abrasive and full of sonic attitude, a song that wails and gnashes its teeth.
And as much as I liked what they did before, this new sound really suits them.Website
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