Qlowski - Ikea Youth / Grinding Halt 7" (MDR037)

Release date: April 3rd 2020

‘Our hands are guns raised in the wind‘. Luckily the desire for a new and inclusive world is not something simple to destroy, with all our contradictions intact we keep fighting and grinding for change, no defeat from the get-go has to be our M.O. Ikea Youth is Qlowski‘s new call for arms, where frustration gives birth to dreams, the third chapter in their short career.

London based twee punks Qlowski return after their first tape released in 2016 (in Bandcamp’s best of the year) and the head-spinning ‘Pure As Fear’ EP (2018) with a ton of touring under their belt in Europe. An uncommon post-punk sensibility, propulsive rhythms, a modern spin on kiwi-pop and a weird combination of dark punk, noise rock and flower pop are what makes them stand out. Television Personalities, Hannett‘s production style, The Clean, Killing Joke, Aussie Punk.

Ikea Youth is the band’s fiercest slab of nerves so far, a pummeling post-punk anthem that is backed with the fitting cover of The Cure‘s ‘Grinding Halt‘. Mickey’s lead vocals on the a-side are a fist full of hope and a paperback copy of Mark Fisher‘s essays delivered with conviction and menace, while Cecilia tackles the monument that is Mr Robert Smith with ferocity and grace creating the perfect mix that makes this band such a precious unit. Concrete-punk forever and more.

Shifty rhythms, circuitous bass-and-guitar interplay, feedback bridges that disappear beneath the musicians’ feet… smart and sharp songwriters who constantly teeter on the edge between light and dark, twee and death-rock. Their unrest is our pleasure. — Jes Skolnik (Bandcamp)