Facebook Slider

Weaves - Weaves

  • Written by  Marky Edison

Weaves is the debut album from the Toronto-based foursome. It was mixed by the legendary Alex Newport and the band have just finished a UK tour with Beach Slang. They will be back later in the month for their own headline shows. Weaves have received a lot of attention for their weird music and bent pop tunes. Fortunately they have the songs to back up the hype.

Vocalist Jasmyn Burke's voice is a bit like Kimya Dawson, a bit like Karen O, a bit like Lou Barlow. The musical backdrop provided by guitarist and co-songwriter Morgan Waters, bassist Zach Bines and drummer Spencer Cole is reminiscent of Pavement, Deerhoof and The Pixies without explicitly sounding like any of them. Waters is deliberately arch and specializes in playing notes to the side of the ones that you expect. His guitar plays like Joey Santiago’s lead guitar and Kim Deal’s backing vocals in one package.

Weaves is experimental music wrapped up in bubblegum. The songs are at their strongest when they are duets between Burke’s voice and Water’s guitar. Opening track ‘Tick Tock’ is one such duet. ‘Birds And Bees’ again uses the guitar in lieu of a second vocalist but this time it's a call-and-response structure. ‘Coo Coo’ has a world music vibe, like a Peter Gabriel rhythm and feel, mixed with ‘80s cod reggae, and a childlike chorus that you'll be repeating maddeningly all day. Recent single ‘Candy’ is satisfyingly noisy and discordant with a faux-synth breakdown. ‘Shithole’ starts out sounding so like The Pixies that I expect to hear Frank Black’s voice. It takes a The Strokes-style turn, and blossoms into a post-punk work of brilliance.

Weaves are renowned for their weird pop but they are frighteningly adept at straight guitar pop too as on ‘Shithole’, and even more so on ‘Eagle’ which has a mellow indie swing in the vein of The Folk Implosion, with a guitar line on the chorus that is parked at the junction of The Beatles and Paradise Lost.

Weaves have tried very hard to make a pure indie pop album that sounds like nothing else out there, and they have succeeded completely. Weaves is an original take on well worn tropes and a spectacular, individual debut album that follows perfectly from their earlier EP while evolving their sound and songwriting. I'm excited to hear where they will go next.

Weaves is available from Amazon and iTunes, and you can catch Weaves on tour at the following dates:

Tour Dates
30/06, Derby, The Venue
01/07, Bedford, Esquires
02/07, Aldershot, West End Centre
03/07, Brighton, The Prince Albert
04/07, Guildford, Boileroom
08/07, Winchester, Railway
09/07, Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms
12/07, Leicester, The Musician
15/07, Southwold, Latitude Festival
17/07, Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
18/07, Newcastle, Think Tank
19/07, Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
23/07, Huntington, Secret Garden Party Festival
02-04/09, Salisbury, End of the Road Festival

Rate this item
(2 votes)
Login to post comments
back to top