29 Mar 2024
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Anxiety Club - Single Review: Carousel

24 Jun 2022 // A review by Kev Rowland

Here we have the latest single from Wellington-based Anxiety Club, taken from the forthcoming album Old Dreams, but anyone expecting more of their guitar-led music is going to be in for quite a surprise as there has been a major shift in their sound, caused by circumstance as much as by design. Like many bands unable to perform or tour over the pandemic, they used the downtime to focus on new songs, but that was not their only issue. “Our drummer had just moved to Christchurch, the bass player had also left town, our rehearsal space was about to get bulldozed and I was nursing a pretty bad arm injury – I couldn’t even play guitar!” said lead singer, Kev Fitzsimons. This led to serious discussions between himself and keyboard player Clint Meech as to what the future held (and whether the universe was trying to tell them something), and they decided to undertake the album by utilising more synths and call in some mates to give them a hand. This included Chris Armour (Miles Calder) who has been the group’s guitarist since late 2018 and bassist Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol), while Zach Simao (an LA-based drummer) added beats and percussion and singer Maygen Lacey (also in the US) provided the vocal arrangements.

I don’t know if the whole album is going to sound like this, but what we have here is atmospheric dream pop which takes the listener into a whole new world. There are layers of keyboards as the support, delicate bass and nuanced guitar, wonderful harmonies, all there to provide the support for Kev’s vocals. It is the atmosphere which really lifts this as it is all encompassing, and the very slight lift in the guitars near the end provides a much-needed contrast to the incredibly polished production. This never sounds like an independent release and is a long way from the genres I normally review which makes it incredibly hard for comparisons but is the sort of song I would have expected to hear high in the charts back in the early 80’s, back when synth-based pop was on the rise. Melodic and restrained, this is music to relax into, as it takes the listener on a soft and gentle journey away from the trials and tribulations of daily life.

Rating: ( 4 / 5 )
 

About Anxiety Club

Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, Anxiety Club established themselves early on as an indie act to watch. Over the closing years of the 2010's, they pumped out a steady stream of singles and EPs - from the anthemic Be Still through the alt-country infused Black Heart EP to the guitar-driven post-punk Francine EP, and student radio favourite Ginger in the Summer.

They have toured their home country of New Zealand (inc. co-headlining shows with Miles Calder, Adam Hattaway, Milly Tabak & The Miltones), graced summer festival stages (incl. Coastella, Festival of Lights) and recorded a number of memorable live-to-airs for Radio NZ.

Like for many artists, the pandemic hit hard. Gigs and tours were put on hold and progress on the Francine follow-up slowed to a standstill. They lost band members to other cities during this time too - including founding drummer Chris Hill. What could have destroyed the band instead fuelled a surge of creativity in remaining members Kev Fitzsimons (Thom Cross) and Clint Meech (Matt Langley band). To help them complete their debut album they collaborated with Chris Armour (Miles Calder band) on guitars, Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol) on bass and LA-based beat-maker Zach Simao.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Anxiety Club

Releases

Old Dreams
Year: 2022
Type: Album
Francine
Year: 2019
Type: EP
Black Heart
Year: 2018
Type: EP
Live EP
Year: 2016
Type: EP

Other Reviews By Kev Rowland

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28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
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24 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
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