Releases from Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey’s steadily burgeoning Skep Wax label are no strangers to these pages – and for good reasons. The pair continue to benevolently and impressively curate creative reconnections amongst the veteran ‘80s-to-‘90s indie-pop diaspora, whilst keeping their A&R sonar pinging in searches for promising younger generation characters to bring to the surface.
The latter wing of the roster has so far this year alone therefore brought us hyper-melodic full-length delights from Jeanines, Lightheaded and The Cords. Now comes the debut LP from the Leeds-based Tulpa to round out things out convivially on the new(er)comers front.
Bristling with communicable energy, whilst not breaking into a shambolic sweat, Monster Of The Week proves to be a well-defined but internally roomy hook-filled addition to the Skep Wax family album catalogue. Funnelling the talents of Josie Kirk (vocals, bass), Daniel Hyndman (guitar, vocals), Myles Kirk (guitar) and Mike Ainsley (drums), the collection unpeels as a refreshingly eclectic suite that joins a lot of choice cross-referencing dots, without lapsing into lazy pastiche.
This takes us through the radiant yet angular jangling (“Transfixed Gaze” and “Pyro”); gorgeous Breeders-tinged thrumming and twanging airiness (“PYSOPs”); smart nods to early-Veruca Salt (“Let’s Make A Tulpa!” and “Stick Figure Boy”); echoes of Blake Babies (“Amateur Hour” and “You’re Living In A Reverie”); and a scratchy chugging pile-up from the aural annals of Talula Gosh, The Velvet Underground and Mudhoney (“Raw Nerve”). Amidst it all, Daniel takes the lead for two amiable if unashamedly Pavement-slanted detours (the title track and “Whose Side Are You On?”), to bring in some welcome extra voicing and pacing variety.
Agile, rich and memorable in its communalist approaches to songcraft, Monster Of The Week is a fine inaugural outing that bodes well for future follow-ups.-Adrian-
