Quirkiness is an acquired taste. Just think Phoebe Buffay from Friends and you will ultimately be split on whether she is free spirited, funny and spontaneous or just downright annoying and a character whose only aim is to torture you with every struck guitar chord and wail.
Listening to ‘Smash The Floor,’ the debut EP from the multicultural Poeticat will have you firmly camped on one of these sides, as their own musical brand of eccentrics comes to the fore.
The EP begins with a gust of wind and the faint sound of seagulls, as you begin to reminisce about Blackpool Pleasure Beach, your sea of tranquillity is disturbed by a Londener speaking. Welcome to Jetty. The spoken word style Catherine Martindale adopts may be different, but works well, especially over the top of a groovy bounce and haunting vocals, while a piercing solo helps seamlessly switch between the peaceful and the vibrancy that exudes from the quintet.
Jetty was just a gentle introduction as any comfort you were feeling gets abducted by the thumping drums and laser esque electronics of Centre Of The Concrete Square. This is a song about growing up on a council estate and it sounds as painful as being raised on one. This is music with no boundaries, with razor riffs a chorus that is plain noise, full of anguish, anger and sharp electronic animal howls that make for an uncomfortable listen.
Rest Reprise calms the madness down for a moment with the addition of stings giving off an Eastern feel with Ziggi Jadovski’s haunting vocals that float by before proceeding to kick down the back door and go on a rampage with Arabian riffs and maracas.
The band strays off the beaten path once again with Kind Words Soft Kill. Jadovski’s melodies add tension which increase as the track goes on and the textures created work admirably alongside as their poetry is played against an evocative atmosphere that broods intensely.
Closer 3rd Arm will have everyone reaching for their air guitars, with a penetrable riff that you can’t shake it is easy to forget that there is a poet speaking over the top as the words get lost beneath Baj Kenrick’s mad fretboard skills.
There may be some quirky lyrics such as Jetty’s, “if you come here and lick my cheek and ruffle my hair then I’d feel like a real sailor, here” which makes ‘Smash The Floor’ fascinating in parts. However there no holds barred approach to genre does can get a little weary after time and the tendency to throw everything at a track may be interesting to some but others unlistenable.
