One of more underground, aloof, and ‘cool-kid’ guitar releases you’re likely to hear this year, everything about Singapore trio Vegtable is intriguing.
The fact that they’re from Singapore is noteworthy in itself, because there are no other slowcore bands in Singapore. They’re often the ones bringing down the tempo in a sea of prevailing emo and math-rock bands. Even more intriguing is that new album ‘Hit By A Car’ (Due October 16th) is being released by a Leeds DIY label Field Work Recordings, in an unlikely collaboration between two cities nearly 7000 miles apart.
Refusing to draw influence from any music released after the year 2000 (though they also say 22º Halo inspired ‘Stay’ so who knows), Vegtable’s use of classic 90s influences feels more estranged and futuristic than it does patently nostalgic. Space, precision and reservation are the names of this inscrutable game. Each delicate guitar jangle feels loaded with intent – no accidental or spontaneous noise here. Their drummer Shenen is exquisitely minimalist and prefers to play as little as possible, often not at all. Vocalist Jeriel (who also mixed the whole album) ghosts in and out not unlike Snail Mail’s Lindsay Erin Jordan. What a beautiful band to find out exists in some distant pocket of the world.
Photo by @junnejulyaugust
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