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Words by Steve Shelverton

Reaching into a towering archive of poorly folded band t-shirts, I find one of my favourite new editions is a white Trim Reaper shirt. The clean white cotton shirt is destined for rich crimson pasta sauce stains caused by dancing and trying to cook while listening to the duo’s new E.P. ‘Listen to Trim Reaper’. My mind is embalmed in a flashback of solid memories of two of Brisbane’s favourite musicians, that have dually embraced their fiery electro creativity to team up in a recipe of fun, mateship and flare being the secret herbs to that spicy meatball. 

Matt Somers (I Heart Hiroshima) and Mikey Hardy (Violent Soho, Miiesha, Birds of Tokyo, John Buttler TrioI could keep going?) have forged their collective libraries of noughties indie drama and electro-dance-punk enthusiasm to meld hot flash-backs with noted influences from Pet Shop Boys and Eliot Smith, as they stretch mix tape samples to within an inch of their sonic existence, injected with fast grooves and hectic beats.

Vocal experimentation, electro-timing changes, and succulent drumming patterns are recognisable signatures of the two creators. The EP, sounding exquisitely more cassette-based than digital, was concocted within a factory of audio relics from a pre-digital era, recorded with unbridled vigour and determination in a “band-in-a-bubble” type recording sessions of round-the-clock efforts. Let’s have a sneaky peak of the Trim Reaper EP…

Modest Salary

I’ve been turning the DZ Deathrays remix of this track repeatedly, describing it as “an electro-punk pump-up jam”. The gloomy lyrical content of being poor-ass and pissed-off about it, is diametric to the disco-esque distortion and frivolity that builds in digital breakdowns. Matt‘s lyrics, building to an exclamation, doubled down on it with Mikey’s Morse Code percussion solo in the last 20 seconds of the track, leaving nothing in the tanks.

Super Hans Feat. Yb

This track captures both elements of a Pet Shop Boys throwback, and audio experimentation – the percussion layers are stacked 12 deep. The drama unfolds with the stress and anxiety in Matt‘s voice, encapsulating the paranoia of self-fear in song lyrics. Yb verses compliment the track midway, shaping a turning point in the song. This is overlayed by Mikey’s frantic drumming patterns, as Matt’s now supremely chaotic voice eventually vaporises into to the ether. It’s a creative puzzle, one best listened to several times to work through the rhythmic maze within the layered mix.

 

Release Love

It’s a love song on empathy and teaching the values and complexity of self-love, and love of those important to you. At 5:24 the track length lends to chapters in phases. “Teach Patience, a valuable lesson”. As a dance track, those phases account for timing changes and harmony, with some Wurlitzer light keys, overlayed with the Trim Reaper signature live drums driving it home.

The mix on this E.P is ripe and fresh. An old-world recording session method, backed up with experience, layered with experimentation. The live shows have reaped praise, the physicality of the drumming creates a uniqueness to the Trim Reaper electro-punk dance genre. New listeners may also like the heavy grinding warp of my personal favourite track Defeater, not on the E.P, however definitely worth the play.  Ahh! Anyone know how to get Pasta sauce stains out of a white shirt?!

UPCOMING LIVE DATES – LINK

Sunday 3 November – The Dock, Gadigal / Sydney
Saturday 23 November – Echo & Bounce, Meanjin / Brisbane
Saturday 7 December – The Tote Front Bar, Naarm / Melbourne

FOLLOW TRIM REAPER

INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Thanks to Positive Feedback

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