Edition of 150 copies.Foldable outersleeve with lyrics.Comes with polylined innersleeve and outersleeve Cologne's now quite long-established art punk institution Tics has made itself heard again and their latest 7" on the local label Mörtelsounds presents the band in their most focused and catchy incarnation for a while. All the moving parts fit together more seamlessly than ever before, with the opener Clad Faun probably being stylistically closest to the Minutemen and Gang Of Four-informed post punk of their early work. At the same time, however, they are increasingly opening up to a range of influences, quite a few of which I would place in the Dischord universe of the '90s, namely on the one hand its more melodic outgrowths á la Fire Party and Autoclave, but as the album progresses, many of the more "typical" acts á la Jawbox, Hoover, Smart Went Crazy, Bluetip and Kerosene 454 have certainly left their mark, along with other giants of the '90s such as Polvo, Unwound and Chavez. At the same time, however, I also think I can hear echoes of more recent events, such as Australian and New Zealand bands like Die! Die! Die!, Batpiss and Bench Press, as well as US bands like Stuck or Rip Room. (12XU BLOG)
