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CMU Approved
Approved: Shiny Darkly
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 2 October 2014
Since their initial releases on the Crunchy Frog label two years ago, shoegazer trio Shiny Darkly have been hard at work recording, and more recently promoting, their debut album, ‘Little Earth’ in their native Denmark. Now they’re ready to move further afield, with their first official UK single release coming next week, along with a short run of live shows.
Shiny Darkly make no real attempt to mythologise themselves. Their name states pretty upfront what they’re aiming for with their sound and aesthetic, and they make no secret of their influences – ranging from The Velvet Underground to Joy Division. And the Cure influence on album track ‘This Frail Creature’ is so thinly veiled, it could almost be a cover.
Wearing their influences so boldly on their sleeves should be very off-putting. But, like so many of the bands they clearly love, they’ve got something that makes them captivating. That stops you from angrily closing the browser tab and moving on to the next thing (the modern equivalent of throwing the tape out of the window).
On that first UK single, ‘Soft Skin’, frontman Kristoffer Bech stabs at his guitar while thrusting his voice out of his mouth like he’s trying to actually hit you with it. And you can find out how good he is at connecting those shots when the band play London’s Sebright Arms on Monday, following by The Cookie Jar in Leicester on Tuesday and Nice N Sleazy in Glasgow on Wednesday.
Watch the video for ‘Soft Skin here:
