“the oddest, most confusingly brilliant…they sound like a Disco version of Ireland’s Gilla Band?” Louder Than War
On listening to Bathing Suits debut EP Kill Bathing Suits, out today via Underplay Recordings, it all makes sense when you learn the band were born out of the DIY party scene in their hometown of Leeds. There is a raw element to their music, born out of club nights yes but there is a deliciously unhinged vibe underpinning their sound.
The scuzzy start to opener ‘Relay’ quickly welcomes in the bass pulsating through the floorboards. Be warned, the beats are impossible to resist so the listener has no choice but to succumb. The vocals of Freyja Blevins are delivered with conviction – passionate and confident. What an exhilarating opening to the EP with ‘Relay’ ramping up as it travels. There is no chance to recover as it’s straight into ‘I Can Be A Freak’, a highlight on Kill Bathing Suits. The seductive admittance of “I can be your heavy breather” is delicious in its decadence. Those of a certain vintage will recall ‘Le Freak’ but this is not the genteel disco of Chic. The metronomic throbbing of “I can be a freak” on repeat is edgy and mesmerising all at once. And that stuttering section which tricks the listener into thinking the track has ended – class.
On latest single ‘Swan Princess’ the pummelling beats are pulsating, the listener is becoming aware that this is not music overwhelmed by vocals, rather the sonics are given centre stage – and the result is bewitching. The notes dance around bewitching the listener. There is a hint of the mystical east on ‘Swan Princess’ before the guitars and drums take over, and then that final breath to end, finally releasing the listener.
‘Lousy Havoc’ takes a slightly different path, warping in and out at will. The vocal is more urgent, the distortion adding to this demand to be heard. The off kilter whole of ‘Lousy Havoc’ shouldn’t work, but it does. The drums continue to pound but it is those warping beats that dominate, twitchy and spikey. This is music at its most organic, the sense of the underground most prominent of any of the tracks on Kill Bathing Suits. The abrupt end comes as a surprise and that is Bathing Suits, providing the utterly unexpected.
Only one word is required for final track ‘Empathy’ – Epic. This seven and a half minute odyssey of sound, is utterly beguiling with its dancebeat from the very start. Again its the beats that are driving this track yet to be clear this is not five songs repeating the same pattern, far from it. At the halfway point of ‘Empathy’ this listener was still hooked. There is a hint of the punk funk of ESG slightly shifting the atmosphere before it all builds again. The resplendent soundscape holds even tighter until finally releasing the listener trapped within its power.
Bathing Suits are a breath of fresh air, their alternative soundscape utterly captivating. The EP was recorded and produced by Benny Howell, AKA Leeds/Berlin DJ and producer DJ Subaru. Together they have captured the DIY vibe of their homemade club nights. The bands mantra is “Always dancey. Always loud. Always Sexy.”. This has 100% been achieved on Kill Bathing Suits, only please don’t because we need more.
For more information on Bathing Suits please check their instagram and bandcamp.
Review: 9 out of 10