by Post-Trash Staff (@post_trash_)
Wax Chattels don’t sound like the stereotypical New Zealand band. instead creating a savagely futuristic blend of cold and calculated post-punk. The trio make what they describe as “guitarless guitar music,” and their sophomore album, Clot, is full of strength and menace. Built on angular progressions, swelling noise, and a never ending avalanche of eery tension, the band blend noise rock and post-punk together to create something heavy, blistering, and slightly alien. Out now via Captured Tracks, Wax Chattels were kind enough to share some of the influences that lead to Clot with us.
Give the record a listen below and see what music helped bring it all into being, from Kim Gordon and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Protomartyr and Girl Band.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is EP
I couldn’t pick one track off this EP so... Is Is is heavily underrated and overlooked, but it absolutely slams. This and the first YYYs EP are my favourite EPs of all time; it’s not an understatement to say that they blew my barely-teenage brain.
Kim Gordon - “Air BnB”
The screechy guitar over the super chill bass line really gets me. I definitely prefer playing noise (on bass) rather than such a solid and bass line, but this song is really selling it to me. The rest of the record truly caught me off guard (like - what is that?!), but I love it.
Girl Band - “Pears For Lunch”
I’d just returned from Dublin at the time of starting Wax Chattels, and Peter and I bonded heavily over this record, so it holds a special place in the genesis of the band. The full-body way it makes me feel unable to stay still and how much I LOVE this band is something I hope Wax Chattels can do for someone else.
Chelsea Wolfe - “Iron Moon”
Chelsea Wolfe at the Button Factory is one of the greatest shows I’ve ever attended. I was going through a “where are all the women at?!” phase and I think this album really freed me to sing the way I do in Career (Wax Chattels) and Forever Marred (Clot). Chelsea Wolfe is always a reference sound for “can we please make the bass bigger and the sounds deeper?” on our albums.
Protomartyr - “Pontiac 87”
I’m a “get out of bed and leave in sub-15 mins” type of morning person. There was a time when I used to bolt out of bed to the opening chords of “The Devil In His Youth” and it would take me a couple of songs to whip on clothes and eyeliner and rush to class. I think the reason that this song feels really comforting and “home-y” to me was that I’d literally put the album right back on when I arrived home, and it would be at this point in the record. Also, the surprisingly groovy bass line! This is starting to look like a theme... loving bass lines that are way more chill for me.