I had not heard of Twerps upon hearing I Don’t Mind a few weeks back. It was catchy but my mind immediately concluded that I Don’t Mind was a slacker anthem by a bunch of dudes from Brooklyn. But then about two minutes, an angelic voice drifts in and sings a few lines. I don’t even know what she says but I loved it. She, is Julia McFarlane and she, is in the band. She can play keys and guitar in addition to singing, (probably some other stuff too that I don’t know about). And get this, Julia is from Australia and so are the other three guys as well. So much for preconceptions.
The tracks are of the jangly pop variety and you will definitely hear semblance to Real Estate, and therefore R.E.M. Real Estate is a good band full of quality players but sometimes there tunes just blend together. I never lose track of when one tracks ends and another commences with Twerps. They don’t ever veer from the jangly pop ideal, but each tune has its own hook and flavor. And while I’m sure there have been other bands that have mined the male/female vocal dynamic (i.e. McFarlane and Martin Frawley) in this genre, I can’t recall anybody doing it in a manner that stuck in my brain like these guys.
They will be coming over from Australia for SXSW. Jefe and I will be checking them out. We may very well be quoting lines from Crocodile Dundee and/or confusing our British and Australian accents. In anticipation of that monumental occasion, I would suggest picking up Range Anxiety. Their 2011 s/t effort should be on your radar as well.
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Twerps is here
