Klammer are a four-piece band from Leeds, UK putting out music that is unabashedly tied to the golden age of post-punk and in the traditions of Gang of Four, Wire, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Killing Joke.
Here’s their latest single, “Spiral Girl”, the second from their third and latest record You Have Been Processed due out on vinyl and CD on August 10, 2018.
Listen and watch.
With such a sonic affiliation for 1979 as evidenced here, maybe it’s surprising to learn that the band formed in 2014, comprised of Paul “Poss” Strickland (voice, guitar), Steve Whitfield (guitar, producer), Bruno Almeida (drums), and Mike Addy (bass). Whitfield’s background as sound engineer, particularly in his work with The Cure and The Mission, coupled with the other members’ interest in the stark and subterranean post-punk sound helped to provide a template for the band.
Putting out records like this in the 2010s when musical eras are pretty fluid thanks to the unprecedented access that streaming services present to music fans only helps to strengthen their cause. These days, 1979 isn’t a year or era so much as it’s a musical approach, when sounds can be sourced from any point on the pop music spectrum. What the band is doing registers with modern fans, championed by Steve Lamacq on BBC6 radio among others. That’s led to appearances on the same stages as The Skids, The Undertones, Rocket From the Tombs, and The Membranes, proving that what Klammer are doing resonates with original fans of the post-punk era, too.
“Spiral Girl” is a prime example of how well that sound translates into a modern era, featuring echoey guitar and reverb-soaked production with a hint of the Middle-East in the melody lines. This compositional approach is not unlike those in the Bunnymen’s “The Cutter”, but with a distinct appeal of its own; angular and with a sense of disquiet meandering in and out of an otherwise accessible pop structure. All in all, this is the appeal of post-punk in general, mixing guitars-bass-drums with elements that bypass the blues and include ingredients listeners don’t always expect instead.
Klammer prove that the tradition is alive and well, escaping the bonds of history and finding a place in the present to excite audiences native to all eras.
The “Spiral Girl” single was released on July 13 on vinyl and download. Buy it on iTunes, Bandcamp and stream it on Spotify.
Expect the new album, You Have Been Processed, on August 10, 2018.
Happy Listening!
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