SO three years in, a million shows played, friendships won and lost… If you didn’t already realise, a 13 minute 12″ (‘THINK’) doesn’t constitute an LP, so it’s now time for LOVVERS (before you ask it's two “V”s because it looks good) to release their first LP, ‘OCD GO GO GO GIRLS’.
Well, en route from rocking The Smell in LA, touring with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and playing god knows how many shows at SXSW, they’ve set about making a record that in their own words is “an unconventional weird pop record”. Comparisons to Mark Sultan and Clorox Girls are clear but it kicks off with something that almost resembles The Clash. This isn’t “Overpowered By Funk” but more “Career Opportunities” then next we get the Ramones meets Minutemen then 13th Floor Elevators.
Whilst this is budget rock, this time around the budget was actually pretty good so they relocated to Jackpot! Studios (owned by Larry Crane, editor of Tape Op Magazine) in the musical Mecca of Portland, Oregon. With Pat Kearns (Red Dons, Clorox Girls, Exploding Hearts) manning the desk they set about making a record that you're definitely going to want to keep spinning for some time from now.
‘OCD GO GO GIRLS’ is the title of the first single, released on August 3rd, which takes the Real Kids or Television and perhaps adds a touch of influence from some of Lovvers’ other favourite bands, such as No Age or Times New Viking.
The album is new-meets-old but by the end it’s fuzzed out Woodstock. This is vintage stuff; a completely analogue recording. New instruments have been embraced but when was the last time an independent English band made an interesting, raw, guitar record?
As LOVVERS frontman, Shaun Hencher puts it “there's a wealth of American bands, it's a good time, but when was the last time we championed our own? With bands like Shitty Limits, Hipshakes and, hopefully, us raising the stakes, surely it's time for people to stop listening to what they're told and make up their own minds. And when was the last time that happened? (If I remember correctly there was a baby on that cover as well.)”
FORTHCOMING LOVVERS UK TOUR DATES:
August
12 Pure Groove Instore London (1.15pm)
12 Barden’s Boudoir w/ The Strange Boys London
19 Nation of Shopkeepers [FREE] Leeds
20 Captain’s Rest Glasgow
21 Sneaky Pete’s (Edinburgh Fringe) Edinburgh