single // Rhubarb And Custard
Miss Poppy Twist (drums / theremin)
and the Jezebels – Miss Mollie Kingsley
(vocals / percussion), Miss Amber Bradbury (guitar),
Miss Dom Vine (keyboards / vocals) – released this
7" and download as part of Mute's Irregulars
series. Recorded at Leamington Spa's Woodbine Street Studios with
John Rivers behind the desk, the two tracks on this, their third
single, are pretty pop songs with a youthful energy, naturally,
but have a sweet indie charm.
Referencing the penny sweet of tuck-shop days gone
by, 'Rhubarb And Custard' has a riff that falls in the 'is it a
bass? Is it an electric guitar?' camp, drawing comparisons with
Hooky's work in New Order; the addition of bouncy, simple piano
gives a euphoric air to proceedings and Miss Mollie delivers her
vocal in a dry style reminiscent of Justine Frischmann from Elastica
or Sarah Blackwood from Client / Dubstar.
If 'Rhubarb And Custard' is uplifting, the slower
'Write Her Name In Lights' is laden with a sense of sorrow, depicting
the less-than-happy life of a celebrity. The conclusion, with its
laconic 'Sunday Morning' guitar riff, rumbling drums and layered
harmonies is positively heart-breaking.
I bought this from Rough Trade East,
and the sticker plastered on the sleeve likens this to Shampoo,
that vapid manufactured girl duo from the Nineties who scored a
hit with the twee 'Trouble'; it's an unfair comparison. Whereas
Shampoo were content playing the role of immature girly tricksters,
Poppy & The Jezebels project a wide-eyed maturity
and confidence, well beyond their collective years.
7"/i:
A. Rhubarb And Custard
B. Write Her Name In Lights
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