Pop Vulture share new single ‘Comforting Lie’
In the late 1970s, Leeds was spilling over with art school students and abrasive guitars. Almost half a century later, things haven’t changed much. The city that once spawned Gang of Four, Delta 5 and The Mekons now provides a home to Yard Act, English Teacher and Treeboy and Arc, all of whom have previously opted to share the stage with relative newcomers Pop Vulture.
Pairing kraut influences with cutting vocals, the art-rockers have garnered a local following with overspilling live shows, sparkly t-shirts, and a glittery tape release. Now, Pop Vulture return with their first single for EMI North, ‘Comforting Lie’.
A shot at the dissatisfied rich, the track is characteristically Pop Vulture, with strums that sneer in tandem with their words. But ‘Comforting Lie’ pushes their sound beyond their usual skittish guitars and playful percussion, bringing in Adam Wilkin on the trombone and Mary in the Junkyard’s Saya Barbaglia on the viola.
The introduction of brass and strings is subtle but welcome, the sonic equivalent of a comforting lie. Bursts of trombone and intermittent clacks provide brief moments of respite between dissonant twangs and class commentary. However, frontman Sam Curwen is sure to keep the latter as playful as possible too.
The track’s title becomes a refrain throughout the song’s runtime, as he repeats the words, “I need a comforting lie,” always elongating his final word. It’s almost dismal, but the surrounding soundscapes save it from that fate. So, too, do Curwen’s more biting phrases.
“And get a load of this guy, what an awful sight”, he declares over whirring soundscapes, “Yeah, he thinks he’s the queen of the bloated hive.” Blistering and wailing guitars nearly shroud his words as they begin to mirror the exhaustion of each day spent comforted by lies, but his snarky digs just make it through to the other side.
A mounting collage of feedback and sighed vocals reflect the dangerous comfort of the titular phrase, finally culminating in a glitching and dwindling outro of noise. With it, Pop Vulture remind us of just how exciting the current Leeds scene is and of their place within it.
Listen to ‘Comforting Lie’, the new single from Pop Vulture, below.
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