When shoegaze and dream-pop come together you get Butterjunk, the Newcastle-based trio who joined by their love of noise recorded their debut EP, Normalised. With a string of reveried singles already under their belt from the past two years, now seemed like the perfect time for this band to make their mark.
As vocalist and guitarist Ben Ayres says of the project:
“We wanted to put a stamp on the sound that we have been developing over the last 2 years by bringing out an EP which, we feel, really embodies our songwriting and style. The songs were all written during the same period and explore the seasons thematically. Further inspiration came from personal life experiences, which results in a variety of moods throughout the EP and should evoke different feelings for the listener throughout – in a Spike Lee type of way, but with music rather than film. The reverb-laden and chorus-rich tones we are known for have been expanded and experimented with further; especially regarding synths, which has helped us to build a great dreamy sound interwoven with gritty tones and powerful vocals.”
Heading up the four-track EP is ‘Little Alien’, a song drenched in a moody ambience that builds gradually throughout the track. This momentum was very much influenced by bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, “for example, they don’t tempo-track during recording, and let songs naturally build – this played a huge roll in our recording style,” Ayres explains. Consistent with the rest of the EP, ‘Little Alien’ shines with a constellation of sparkling guitars while also vibrating with the kinetic energy of those frenzied drums. The vocals and bass guitar act together as a grounding force for ‘Little Alien’, keeping this spaceship of a song within our atmosphere and staying true to the gaze genre.
Litsten to Butterjunk‘s Normalised EP in full below and be sure to give this hardworking band some love on the socials.
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