More about: Laundromat

Laundromat made a quiet but definite splash back in April with their debut EP Blue - a collection of immaculately crafted lo-fi that earned praise from the likes of Steve Lamacq and Marc Riley for its twitchy, melodic and innovative pieces. Green - the latest in what appears to be a succession of EPs - explores the end of the world, panic attacks and mental health with the same dry charm, self-awareness and sonic imagination.

Green opens with lead single ‘Bureau De Fatigue’ - a hypnotic loop in which details emerge and drop away playfully. Laundromat’s particular knack for percussion is in evidence, imaginatively arranged to drive the track into a bewildered fever. Vocals weave between a tumble of hyper self-reproach - ‘You should see yourself/You’re such a weirdo/This doesn’t end well’ - and a kind of slurring resignation. Lyrically it’s also one of Laundromat’s best, zooming in on ‘pixels/in a cubicle’ and out into ‘black holes’ and ‘another orbit’ - a visual movement that evokes an overthinking brain and described as about “one of those days where you’re being particularly hard on yourself. Ocular migraines and impostor syndrome.”

‘Bug Eyed’, with its off-kilter bounce, steers delicately between a west coast sunshine and strange, sweet melancholy - an emotional ambiguity that makes for rich listening. One particularly rewarding sonic element is the wilfully anomalous bursts of guitar that emerge over an otherwise friendly arrangement - in this case, the kind of deeply disturbing tone you’d find on John Frusciante’s earliest solo albums. The song is also another example of Laundromat’s ability to deploy the most infectious melodies disguised as a lo-fi murmur, best evidenced by the incredulous chorus ’You made it all up?/You’re kidding me?/A California bluff/You can say that again.’

Closing track ‘Nein’ is one of Green’s sonic highlights - a shuffling groove strung to a sliding baseline and peppered with 2D synths and eery harmony. ‘Nein’ is also one of the best examples of Laundromat’s dry charm with the recurring tag ‘Are we having fun or what?!’ set in bizarre contrast to the track’s spun-out, anxious atmosphere.

One of the most exciting things about Green is that despite the presence of loops, harmony and all the conventional instruments found in an alt band, Laundromat’s endlessly imaginative arrangements mean you also never quite know what’s coming. It is one of the many qualities of Laundromat that make them one of the most exciting artists to emerge out of Brighton in years. 

Green EP arrives 27 November via Brace Yourself Records.

More about: Laundromat