Remember double A-sides? Well here’s one from Reading trio Captivves. The two songs have a nice suggestive dark atmosphere, all Bauhaus-black guitars and rumbling post-punk bass. The vocals are less easy to pigeonhole and come as a welcome surprise in comparison to a lot of other bands in this genre. Unsettling and unnerving, it’s initially as unexpected a fit as the vocals of Kitchens of Distinction but they are more in debt to the short-lived S.C.U.M, a chant just about clear through the guitar dominating fog.
Opener “Dive in” almost ends too quickly, the intro taking up a fair chunk of the song but this shows the importance of their sound and is a moody preparation for the more conventionally structured “Don’t Defy Us”. This is a slow builder, rising to a primal vocal flourish at its finale.
There’s a welcome live feel to Captivves’ songs and despite the monochrome intent there is plenty of colour in its chaos.
Captivves on the web:
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