Murder Shoes are a band from Minneapolis who have released their eponymous EP on Land Ski Records. Derek Van Gieson (guitar) was introduced to Chris White (guitar, vocals) and they wrote a hundred or so songs as ‘A Marriage at Nevers’. They found a voice and yet more songwriting chops with Tess Weinberg (vocals, keyboard). They sifted through songs, like gold rush dreamers. Then came the engine block of Elliot Manthey (drums) and Tim Heinlein (bass). The songs were given power and from there, careened through several gates of meow. Now as a whole and with abandon, they create Murder Shoes music.
This is an excellent EP, it has elements of surf guitar and rock / indie with a darker edge at times. The vocals are outstanding, really seductive and sexy and Murder Shoes have a great tight knit sound with excellent guitar tones too.
Charlotte Manning This is such a brilliant opening song, it has great surf guitar tone and riffs backed by drumming and bass that gives a solid foundation. The vocals are stunning, seductive and sexy which combined with the dark feel of the song conjures up an image of a femme fatale from a David Lynch film, to which this song would be ideally suited.
Maybe You Can This song has a strummed opening leading into more uptempo drums and bass which give it a real momentum. The vocals again are excellent and have a laid back feel which contrasts really well against the more uptempo rhythm. Great guitar tone and riffs again.
Under the Sea This song has a great uptempo opening before settling into more of a laid back feel with a really nice chord vamp. There’s a great change of feel leading into the chorus and again there are excellent vocals and great guitar tone.
Sea a Little Louder A great opening groove from the drumming accompanied by a tambourine to open, the bass riff then gives great movement which is joined by an excellent guitar riff. The verses are a simple arrangement of drums, bass and excellent vocals which are really seductive. There’s also a nice change in feel in the chorus with guitar riff / solo.
In Your Bed or on a Train This song opens with great drumming which feels almost double time and gives the song a real urgency. The guitar riff propels the song along with a great twangy riff too. The vocals sit a bit more in the background which suits the style of the song really well. There’s a great building of tension with a final release.
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Land Ski Records website
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