Vocals and brittle circuit bent Casio keyboard melodies nestle between slabs of buzzing Commodore 64 synths, gritty beats and pulverising drums on Spirit Bunny‘s debut album. Despite the predominantly ‘retro’ nature of the instruments – with their Commodore 64s and Casio Sk 5/8 keyboards harking back to the glorious ‘80s – there is nothing retrospective in their sound. Despite the lack of guitars, Spirit Bunny’s chaotic blend of broken sound bears as much in common with noisey-guitar-pop bands as dark-synth-wave groups.
Thoroughly democratic in nature, with each musical component given equal weight, Spirit Bunny’s lyrics continue to mine the same themes explored by the groups instrumentation and diy work-ethic. Songs simultaneously celebrate and critique consume culture with odes to inner-city rubbish collection and mindless youth consumption habits – be they 90s disposable fashion labels or packed lunches. Elsewhere lyrics, at times themselves cut-ups and found texts, comment on the mundane, comfortable lifestyle of inner-city living.
Decidedly DIY, Spirit Bunny’s debut LP comes in a hand-painted cardboard case, was recorded at drummer Cameron Smith’s studio Incremental Records (Velociraptor, Deafcult, Danyl Jesu) and features instruments circuit bent (Casio SK keyboards), modified (Commodore 64s) and built into twisted slabs of noise by the members.
Releases 21st April via Detonic Recordings.