- After their ace single 'Sister Self Doubt' I was expecting these guys to go huge, but for some reason they haven't. I suspect it's only a matter of time really, as they're up there with !!! as the kings of the punkfunk/electro sound. Plus they're on the 'Leave Them All Behind 2' compilation from uber-cool Australians Modular Records, which means they'll be getting some welcome exposure.
The title track 'Disneyland' is in two versions. 'Part One' has Matt and Dan Farrow (for they are Shakes) singing over spiky guitars while bubbly blips and blips and weird effects hover in the background.
'Part two' is less foot stomping and more head banging. The guitars have been replaced by synths, a cowbell and a whopping and delightfully pulsing electrohouse breakdown at the end.
The Farrows say their influences are DFA, Adam and the Ants and Optimo and once 'Disneyland' passes your ears you'll realise these are guys who wear their hearts on their sleeve.
Also included on the EP is live track 'Fuckon'. Normally live tracks infuriate me and I just skip on, but this is worth listening to, not least because the only bit of the crowd you hear is at the start. 'Fuckon' is more muscular than 'Disneyland' and to start off with sounds like a weird hybrid of Tiefschwarz and the Chemical Brothers. Then the heavy Atari synths and circling hi hats put the boot in and it becomes a cracking, mindless piece of 8-bit jack. It cuts out suddenly, leaving you wanting more, which is just how it should be.
The EP finishes off with an audition of 'Disneyland', which will satisfy the diehard, the bored and the curious.
TracklistA1 Disneyland (Part One)
A2 Disneyland (Part Two)
B1 Fuckon (Live)
B2 Disneyland (Audition)