"People in 2015 shouldn't be able to get away with things like this ..."

July 7, 2015 8:48 AM

There was a thought that there weren’t enough bands with guitars that were exciting in the same way as the bands we cared about so we had the thought let’s try and do it better ourselves ... What I wanted that was something post-punk or whatever you want to call it but with songs. There was a while there where I wasn’t hearing any songs.

Formed in 2013, North London band Desperate Journalist take their name from an obscure 1979 beef between The Cure and the NME's Paul Morley. Together, they make jangly, intense indie pop, redolent of faded seaside resorts, cramped book-filled bedsits, and English winter chill. Their debut album, Desperate Journalist [Spotify], appeared earlier this year. [Youtube.]

Live footage: Cristina, Mistakes, Organ, Control, and Eulogy.

posted by Sonny Jim (21 comments total)

Makes me think of the Go-Betweens a bit.
posted by yoink at 9:04 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

I think band members with last names "Drowner" and "Hellbent" is pretty punk. "Hardy" and "Bevan" have some work to do.
posted by librosegretti at 9:05 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Man, that singer reminds me of someone that I just can't place. Not Siouxie, but close.
posted by klangklangston at 9:09 AM on July 7, 2015

What is the writing process you follow? With such strong lyrical content do you find yourselves starting there, or with a musical hook? Where does it start?

Bevan: It starts there [points at Harvey and laughs].

You'd think the interviewer would have been more interested in following up their relationship with a 6' 3.5" tall invisible rabbit.
posted by yoink at 9:13 AM on July 7, 2015 [3 favorites]

Man, that singer reminds me of someone that I just can't place. Not Siouxie, but close.

Reminds me of Morrissey ...
posted by carter at 9:19 AM on July 7, 2015

Man, that singer reminds me of someone that I just can't place. Not Siouxie, but close.

Reminds me of Morrissey ...

I was thinking the exact same thing. The Smiths with a female singer.
posted by freakazoid at 9:28 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was thinking the exact same thing. The Smiths with a female singer.

And BOOM, I have a new favourite band.
posted by Keith Talent at 9:33 AM on July 7, 2015 [8 favorites]

They discuss the Smiths comparisons near the beginning of the interview in the "in 2013" link. I'm trying not to look too hard for comparisons, because I really like this and want to just enjoy it on its own own merits, and for me personally (ymmv, of course) I always end up finding shortcomings when I go down Nostalgia Rd.
posted by gimli at 9:45 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Siouxsie + The Smiths + a dash of The Church = Awesome. Thanks for finding my summer listening for me!
posted by Requiax at 9:51 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

SO GOOD
posted by a halcyon day at 11:14 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was thinking the exact same thing. The Smiths with a female singer.

Oh, you mean The Organ?
posted by humboldt32 at 11:31 AM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

I fucking love DJ. I listened to them non-stop on repeat for like three weeks earlier this year after discovering them. I hadn't been so excited about a new band in a very long time.
posted by clockzero at 12:29 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

There was a thought that there weren’t enough bands with guitars that were exciting in the same way as the bands we cared about so we had the thought let’s try and do it better ourselves

I've been thinking this way about Japandroids a lot.
posted by gucci mane at 1:14 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also, they remind me of Westkust a lil bit. I'm enjoying it.
posted by gucci mane at 1:16 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Morrissey comparison does not bother me in the least btw. And the live clips are great.
posted by carter at 3:46 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

OK, OK, we all love BJ. Can I post other guitar-based female fronted rock now?

Dead Sara - Something Good
Skating Polly - Alabama Movies

I hope wyndham approves.
posted by signal at 4:29 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sweet mother of Rickenbacker, English people with guitars are back!
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:34 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Brooding young English people with guitars are literally the best kind of people
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:43 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

*LOVE THIS*
posted by ephemerae at 10:17 AM on July 8, 2015

Also the guitars remind me of Placebo a bit.
posted by ephemerae at 10:22 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've listened to everything they've got on Spotify and I like them quite a lot. They remind me the most of Ride, which sent me into a Ride-hole for the first time in like 10 years. My god, that first Ride album is magnificent. Just trying to imagine seeing them as a local young band just before Nowhere came out...
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:55 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]