San Diego is always getting pigeonholed. Whether you expect to hear fast, crunchy, under-two minute beach punk or spaced-out, wavey, Coachella-approved tone scapes, there seems to be no middle ground, no opportunity to surprise. And yet, with Snakesuit's debut EP, Celebration, we've been given something totally off our SD radar and a a cool, inspired take on melodramatic dance tunes.
The EP is called Celebration, and there's a handsome dose of nasally, bratty vocals (okay, so maybe our locale remains), but they're paired with crisp beats and unfiltered guitars, making for a departure from what we thought the city by the sea was grounded in. There is a hefty thoughtfulness in the EP, culling influences like David Bowie and Joy Division, which discourages the listener from consuming the songs as background music. With the title track, the group appears to work in outsider footsteps, marketing on a whistley time-marker, a softly wistful synth track, and a pleading voice demanding that we're going to have a celebration. The 5 tracks are a departure from the original lineup of these West Coast lads, who made up Hotel St. George, a band that championed Brit garage-punk that felt as authentic as the local chippy in Manchester. You can check out the cleaned-up dance wizardry of Snakesuit exclusively here, but check out our favorite below.
Don't disregard this bass line.
