Growing up, Matthew L. Paul was listening to bands who boomed out of England in the ’60s, and those signed to New Zealand label Flying Nun in the ’80s (The Clean, The Chills, et al). While hunkered down in his bedroom toying with those sounds on his guitar, he probably never imagined signing to Flying Nun with a full four-piece outfit. Yet that’s just what’s happened for his band Ghost Wave. Now, drenched in the influence of those eras, Ghost Wave’s debut full-length, Ages, is set for an August 27th release.
Recorded in just six days, the self-produced record’s tautness defies its quick turn around. The foursome made use of every studio second to nail down a sound that differed from their self-titled debut EP, but remained as focused as ever. “There is a kind of amphetamine-like feel to this record,” Paul says of the difference. “I think, in terms of the way the songs are played, we were less interested in loud/soft and wanted to create a mechanic type sound and song-presence.”
You can hear that presence on their latest single, “Bootlegs”. The title is fitting, as it sounds like it could’ve been recorded straight from the soundboard of some Dunedin, NZ club in the ’80s. Paul’s vocal delivery has a distinct liveness to it, hard on the vowels, drawn out on each final syllable as he sings “It’s not the end of the workday / it’s the beginning of the night.” Behind him, guitars roll through waves that creep up on the edge of surf rock and the bass skips and bops along. It’s fitting that Ages is the first U.S. release for Flying Nun since their partnership with Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks: “Bootlegs” has a ramped-up version of Tracks artist Mac DeMarco’s nonchalant cool. Let those amphetamines pump by pressing play below.
Ages is out August 27th via Flying Nun/Captured Tracks. Pre-orders are on-going, and you can peep the tracklist below.
Ages Tracklist:
01. Horsemouth
02. I Don’t Mind
03. Country Rider
04. Arkestra
05. Here She Comes
06. Ages
07. Bootlegs
08. Mountain
09. Teenage Jesus
10. Orb