Based in the rural surrounds of Brogers Creek, New South Wales, folk-electronic trio Vennsquidink blend instrumental and lo-fi electronic elements together in a way that frequently feels both ramshackle and subtly-controlled, with this self-released five-track EP ‘Nasty Noises’ offering up an introduction to their sound. Opening track ‘Jim-dandy’ sees a crushed-sounding, distorted rhythmic loop rolling away in the background while stinging, treated blues guitar chords and live bass tones add a loose meandering feel, the entire track calling to mind some gnarled roots-electronic excursion, before ’100 Monkey Spies’ signals the entrance of fluid banjo runs and feathery acoustic guitar runs over a stripped-down backbone of metronomic programmed rhythms, the guitar figures looping and meandering in a circular manner that curiously calls to mind echoes of krautrock more than anything else.
Elsewhere, ‘There’s A Door In My Dream’ sees things turning more abstracted and brittle as eerie, tension-inducing keyboard stabs flicker against clattering rhythms, noodling organ tones and unpredictable flashes of synth-bass, while ‘Boing-A-Boing’ sees things wandering off into a surreal funk excursion powered by squelching bass distortion and sudden stabs of Hammond organ powerchords as primitive-sounding beats putter away in the background. While the sketchlike nature of some of the music here suggests that Vennsquidink are still honing their aesthetic, in many senses it’s the minimalism of these tracks that most adds to their intriguing appeal. You can download ‘Nasty Noises’ for free from Bandcamp.
Chris Downton
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