Graham Reid | | 1 min read
They are a self-described “Dunedin surf-psych quartet” who here “continue to expand their sonic palette, maintain the raw garage-rock sound Koizilla are known for while adding dynamic and finesse to the overall appeal”.
They also recorded this in their lounge.
That's it . . . but because we were quite taken with their 10 songs of cheering, sometimes flat-tack and/or spaced-out psyche-rock – and that in photos at their Facebook page and on the Trace/Untrace website they looked like they were having fun – we happily bring them to your attention.
Oh, and the artwork by Will Agnew here and on a previous release also appealed.
Koizilla are guitarist/singer Zak (who contacted us, thus showing some initiative), bassist/singer Connor, drummer Josh and Hilary on flute, vocals, keyboards and percussion.
You'd liked to have been in that lounge when they were recording.
I Don't Surf I Boogie is a fair description of the contents too in that they can certainly do disciplined psychedelic boogie (Weatherperson, Sunburn and Itchy Bites) but they also have a slightly absurdist approach to pop (the one minute Goat Boat Float, the odd Monkey Bay, Monkey Yab) and both the hard-pop of Boogie Board and Prooble are kind of head-down punky takes on boogie and surf rock.
The five minute opener Let's Go Camping sounds beamed in from one of the better left-field San Francisco bands of 1966.
Yes, there's a lot of enthusiastic and diverse stuff going on here.
You can hear and buy this album at their bandcamp page here.
Once the lockdown is over let's hope they can afford to tour, they sound like they'd be a lotta fun live.
They also did this interesting session in very cramped circumstances!
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ELSEWHERE ENCOURAGES ITS READERS TO SUPPORT NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS BY BUYING THEIR MUSIC DIRECTLY RATHER THAN STREAM THROUGH SPOTIFY WHERE THEIR RETURNS ARE NEGLIGIBLE
Matt Dalzell - Apr 27, 2020
I saw Koizilla play at the Newtown Festival in Wellington just before COVID lockdown and they were easily the most inventive and fun act of any I saw that day. I saw them by accident, en route to another stage, as it's a horrorshow to navigate, but turned the corner and there was a wonderful melange of 60s psych, Fuzztones, Thee Hypnotics surging forth so I stayed and loved it.
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