MUSIC WE LOVE : JAGWAR MA
Words by Coral Brown – https://coral-brown.co.uk
ARTWORK BY SIMON CLEMENGER
Aussie psychodelic pop folk band Jagwar Ma have just dropped their second album of sequin-embellished nostalgic ear candy, and it’s all we can think about. Formed in 2011 in Sydney, their recipe for sugary vintage sound stirs up synths, manipulated radio frequencies, beats, bass and dreamlike vocals into one delicious batch of melodic treats.
Their first album Howlin released in 2013 is heavily decorated with thick bass and lashings of lo-fi texture and a number of nods to other eras of music. The drum beat that starts Come Save Me feels like the start to an early sixties American pop song, whilst the heart-heavy vocals in Did You Have To remind me of mid-nineties British rock. But at the same time, it feels totally minty fresh. Oh, and if you listen to The Throw on headphones, be warned: there is a drop that might make you dance involuntarily in a public place.
When writing their new album Every Now & Then, vocalist Gabriel Winterfield and producer and synth-player Jono Ma tucked themselves away in the wild of a national park north of Sydney, but not without interruption. Their digs were reportedly bombarded with infestations of flying ants, cheeky bees and massive rats, oh my. Winterfield and Ma are clearly a hit across species boundaries.
Their second album is fizzing with yet more sweet beats and honest lyrics, executed with real warmth. Plus, word on the grapevine is these guys are mind-blowing to see live.
Fancy a nibble for yourself?
Tuck in Yum Yum
