Altsounds - The Dirty Skirts - Felling The Pressure [Single]

South African foursome The Dirty Skirts released this double A-side back in January so is this case of being well worth the wait? - hardly. They have received “huge” success in their native homeland, and no doubt they could do quite well elsewhere too, but as we all should know by now – money does not maketh the band, only the bank.

On the first track “Feeling the Pressure” the band clearly want to come across as interesting and quirky, and no doubt believe that they are, but there is nothing of interest here at all and they are about as quirky as a ham sandwich. Rather damningly the track also sounds too long at just three and a half minutes. Strangely the second track “Can’t Remember Your Name” sounds like a band who are fully aware how drab and boring they are, making it actually more tolerable, but only in the same way that Chinese water torture might be slightly more tolerable than having your whole body slowly sandpapered away.

My mother always told me to never trust a band who sound like two completely different poor bands on a single two track release (my mother had a tip for pretty much every eventuality in life). Not that it really matters if they decide who they want to sound like; either way it’s still poison they’re choosing. Having reviewed the rather brilliant BLK JKS recently, it’s at least comforting to know there is some real talent coming out of SA; just don’t look for it in the charts.