Duvet release new split single, Girlcow / Sweaty Dog
Manchester based Duvet release Girlcow / Sweaty Dog on split single vinyl on October 6th. The band state they are here to have fun and have moved away from the expectation of writing about harsh topics impacting women and instead concentrate on the fun side of life. They namecheck the new post punk sound which they credit Shame, Warmduchser and the Viagra Boys.
Their sound is a definite move from their earlier output which had a distinct shoegaze feel to it. The two singles are certainly post punk and are both riotously loud and in your face, as you’d expect from their influences. The significance of the shift away from their original sound may not immediately register but when you realise that their track ‘Running Around In Circles’ has close to 600K plays on Spotify alone, you can feel the pressure to succeed jumping out the phone screen. So the pursuit of a new sound, a sound what they feel is their most authentic self, for such a new band should be applauded. That alone is the surely the true punk ethic.
Straight away both tracks remind me of the criminally underrated Babes in Toyland, mainly due to that filthy stop start baseline resonating throughout both tracks. There is a beautifully brutal and serious tone to both songs but lyrically they have real fun. The true essence of ‘Sweaty Dog’ being that you should be going out, taking what you want, drinking what you want and enjoying yourself with wanton abandon is a message not often heard anymore. Where has the love of the rock and roll lifestyle gone? The quintet’s realisation that being in a band should be fun and it doesn’t always need to have a message is message enough. I just wish they were my mates and invited me to the pub with them.
…When should you play it?
Play it when you’re drinking the cheapest drinks with the most ABV in your room with six of your mates because you can’t afford to go to the pub and instead need to save your money so you can go directly to SNOBS (‘legendary’ Birmingham nightclub) . Thank God Duvet make it ok to get lashed and enjoy it.