Following on one year after the release of their self-titled debut EP, stickybackplastics are set to release their second EP, Reptile Smile. Get ready for a trip back through time to the psychedelic ‘60s and the gritty grunge of the ‘90s.
‘Psycho Dreamer’ – the name of this opening track is damn near spot-on, as the distant, synth-infused instrumentals are sandwiched between the dreamy, echoed vocals that scream psychedelia. The garage-grunge aspect of the band’s description comes through with the track’s basement production, providing an organic, lo-fi feel.
There’s a lot of hype around modern female vocalists right now, but stickybackplastics vocalist Heather Niven takes on a more classic approach with her voice – think back to the cool, collected, in command female vocalists of the past; a deeper, huskier, more bluesy Patti Smith, for example. Along with the blues riffs in the lyrically relatable ‘Don’t Say That You Love Me’, that vintage style really shines to give stickybackplastics a cool, retro edge.
‘You Told Me’ is a little more up-to-date, with a definite alt-rock sound that shows a heavier side to the record. Even though the track drifts off in that same other-worldly way as the others, it has a more distinguishable, steady beat that catches the listener’s ear and allows them to follow it much easier than the other three tracks on Reptile Smile.
We learnt from Kurt Cobain’s blues-led guitar work that grunge and blues music can go hand-in-hand, and stickybackplastics really take that influence with final track ‘Sick Man’. While it’s not as distorted, gritty or raw as the Seattle grunge scene, it definitely has the low-down feel of grunge fused with a blues rhythm, creating a perfect marriage between the two genres.
There is a definite time warp going on with Reptile Smile, with old-style blues roots, psychedelic hippie vibes and desolate grunge production riddled throughout. However, the odd touch of modern alt-rock here and there brings us back to the present day and reminds us that stickybackplastics are actually a very fresh, young band with plenty of life in them yet.
