Wondrous deep tan have released their new EP – diamond horsetail. We’ve become quite acquainted with their unique brand of off-kilter post punk for a while now, but the great thing about the trio is that you never know what to expect from them. Everything they release will take you on another deep dive into the strange that you won’t be prepared for.
‘beginners’ krav maga’ opens the record whilst already underway it seems. As if it’s already been playing and you’ve stumbled in late. As you try to settle into the track, the bass-heavy groove and punchy guitars quickly wrap you up in its twisted sound. The vocals are buried deep within the instrumental to make you lean a little closer to hear them, as it delivers breathy hooks and gutsy statements to really make an impact. It’s a great way to kick off the EP and acts as an introduction to what will be a convoluted, exciting listen.
‘device devotion’ feels like various parts pulled together to create the most dissonant instrumental on the EP. The flair of the bass guitar combats against the wandering nature of the melodies, and the use of bass chords really add some tension to the mix. Yet despite how individual it sounds; the song does a great job at driving its beat into the head. The instrumental piece ‘gender expansion pack’ follows with deep tan utilising their vocals to bring together abstract harmonies with direct melodies on the EP. Creating an enthralling listen.
Snot-rag rubbing and hair melting Rudy Giuliani is given his own diss track on ‘rudy ya ya ya’, as the single sees deep tan at their most immediate. Cranking up the tempo and throwing all melodies and riffs to the face. It is a bold, angry tune that brings some stability to the floaty atmosphere of diamond horsetail.
As mentioned, even the biggest fans go into a deep tan record blind, and diamond horsetail certainly leads you down a dark and strange path. Along the way there are things you won’t comprehend, but there will also be genuine hooks too. I don’t really know if I’ll ever be able to understand it fully, but I do know that it is a great record, and that deep tan continue to be one of more interesting acts around.