With Royal Blood and Slaves set to release new albums this year, it is fair to say that two-piece acts are becoming more than just a quirky gimmick. Here are a few other bands that you might have overlooked.
The Body
Rhode Island sludge metal giants The Body have been making waves throughout various metal circles in recent years. They supported Converge on our shores earlier this year and released a phenomenal collaborative effort with Full Of Hell, as well as their full length, ‘No One Deserves Happiness’. Armed with programmed drums, harsh noise, doomy riffs and shattering shrieks, The Body take no prisoners with their devastatingly bleak music and imagery.
Drawstring
Two-piece best mates club Drawstring have only been around since 2014 but have already made quite a name for themselves. Their honest lyrics, poppy choruses, and noodly guitars are reminiscent of early Nai Harvest and American Football thus creating a winning formula. With three EPs released so far, there’s plenty of material to get yourself stuck into.
DZ Deathrays
The dance punk duo from Australia are not only renowned for creating some of the best party jams around, but they’re also incredibly relentless with their touring, regularly supporting their contemporaries Violent Soho and Dune Rats. Having headlined a stage at 2000 Trees and played Reading and Leeds Festival the same year, they have proven time and time again that you can still party like an Aussie wherever you are.
Nai Harvest
Sheffield favourites Nai Harvest have been such a massive influence on up and coming emo artists around the UK it would be hard not to mention them here. Starting off with a heavy twinkly emo sound, the band developed and moved away into infectiously catchy fuzz pop. If you take anything from this article, please try and catch them at their final shows next month.
No Age
Noise rock aficionados No Age may be somewhat overlooked when it comes to two piece groups, but the scuzzy Sub Pop-signed group are instantly recognisable in their style. Having been around for 11 years now, the group have just been getting better with age and have no plans on slowing down. If you enjoy hazy vocals and fuzzy guitars these guys are for you.
The Drums
The lo-fi indie act from Brooklyn are somewhat minimalistic in their sound but work very well in creating catchy and introspective surf rock. Sometimes there’s even some post punk thrown into the mix as well. You might remember some of their music being featured on The Inbetweeners, Gossip Girl, and even Made In Chelsea, so if post GCSE memories spring back to you when listening to The Drums, then that’s an added bonus.
Iron Lung
Grindcore giants Iron Lung may flirt with sludge and drone in some of their releases, but at their core they make noisey powerviolence that helps bridge the gap for all things desolate and disparaging. If you’re looking for cathartic, heavy stuff, then Iron Lung are your calling.
Dads
While the New Jersey group may now be inactive for the foreseeable future, Dads came onto the scene at a time when the emo revival started to take off outside the US. Honouring their influences and fine-tuning the art of sweaty basement anthems, ‘American Radass’ and ‘I’ll Be The Tornado’ are still modern emo classics that should never be overlooked. They also created the ‘Bakefest at Piffany’s’ challenge where fans film themselves trying to finish 6 beers before the song finishes, a feat that has yet to be broken.
Salvia Palth
Despite the New Zealand project only creating one album, ‘Melanchole’ remains a rather unique lo-fi output. Drifting effortlessly into dream pop, shoegaze and all things emotionally detached, this record is a perfect amalgamation of haziness that delves off into an experimental wall of noise on the second half. Considering that Daniel Lines made this record at the age of 15 with the help of Ike Zwanikken on drums (effectively becoming a second member) it remains a very impressive output.
Kamikaze Girls
The Leeds based grunge duo may have existed since 2014 but have particularly made waves in the UK DIY scene this year with the release of the ‘Sad’ EP. Their message of raising awareness of mental illness and common anxieties is evident in Lucinda Livingstone’s lyrics, twinned with a refreshing take on the noise rock genre. Fans of chorus pedals and fuzzy guitar riffs take note, this is how it’s done.