Weekend
‘Mirror’
Slumberland Records
There’s a reason why 80’s inspired post-punk never seems to go away – when it’s done well, it can be devastating. Thanks to bands like Savages, These New Puritans and Crossfire favourites Wax Idols, there’s a dark new wave flooding the scene. Brooklyn trio Weekend are another contender fighting for a space on that brooding storm cloud.
Latest track ‘Mirror’, taken from their forthcoming album Jinx, glides between melody and intensity, with that driving Peter Hook-esque bassline pulsating throughout, held together with almost tribal drumming. Immersive and powerful, hazy but not overwhelming, ‘Mirror’ doesn’t deny its influences but is exciting enough to avoid sounding unoriginal or dated. The hugely memorable vocal, “I feel sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, sick, in my heart” could easily sound trite in the wrong hands, but it’s sang with such conviction on ‘Mirror’ that instead it just tightens the songs grip.
The passion exhibited on the track may in part be due to the fact singer Shaun Durkan’s father played in 80s post-punk band Half-Church. Choosing to embrace his father’s influence rather than rebel against it has clearly enhanced the band’s sound, but Weekend are well on the way to forging their own distinct history – having already toured with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and British post-punk royalty Wire.
Weekend’s forthcoming album Jinx will be out through Slumberland Records in July.
Augustus Groove