by Steve Kenny (@steve.kenny.1007)
Are We Friends Yet?, the debut EP from London via East Suffolk outfit 1000 Rabbits, introduces a very young but musically accomplished band who met at a music workshop in Aldeburgh as teens. They have now moved to London and are recognized as part of the Brixton Windmill “scene” which birthed Black Country, New Road, Black Midi, and Squid. Listening to this record, this soon becomes apparent, particularly the similarity to early BC,NR, although 1000 Rabbits have a strong identity of their own, drawing on influences such as supper club jazz, 60s folk-rock, as well as skronky art rock. A more up to date comparison would probably be Man/Woman/Chainsaw, mainly down to the use of violin as a lead instrument. The Brixton scene could also be compared to the 60s/70s Canterbury scene where a disparate bunch of (mostly middle-class), often classically trained musicians, embraced rock music, but often using their jazz, classical and folk experience to good effect. Both movements are also very British, but in a good way!
There are six tracks on the EP, including lead singles “Virgin Soil” and “Rubik’s Cube”. These mostly follow the quiet/loud dynamic beloved of many art rock outfits. The exception to this format is third track “Bear Hunt,” which starts very quietly, with fragile, almost whispered vocals, then builds up momentum to include the full band swinging with a Pentangle, almost jazz-folk style. Aforementioned lead track “Virgin Soil” is possibly the best example of their kitchen sink approach to making music, and best differentiates them from fellow travelers such as Man/Woman/Chainsaw and the latest (post Isaac Wood) version of BC,NR, as they seem to enjoy free improv moments as much as their more structured sections, and the musicians definitely have the skill to pull the whole thing together.
Although 1000 Rabbits don’t have a bass guitarist, the combination of Olivia Hughes’ synths and Laura Hussey’s violin make up for this omission, adding depth and rhythm to the overall sound. Paolo Guglielminotti’s lower-register guitar plucking also helps out in this, particularly on the track “Cinema Aisle”. Vocally, River Fernandez is very expressive and versatile, as is required for the music’s regular changes of time-signature and volume, sometimes sounding a bit like Björk. Guglielminotti and drummer Luke Brueck Seeley are also more than able to propel the band along in whatever direction of travel they choose for a particular song or section of a song. The lyrics, as is often the case with bands operating in this space, are both personal and impressionistic, possibly more to add color and shape to the quite complex musical arrangements, than to tell stories in their own right. Overall, a great start to a promising career in making passionate, left-field, modern rock music.