Silverbacks - Fad (2020)

With taut rhythms of 70s punk and the freak-outs of NYC no-wave, Silverbacks craft a signature sound spiked with triple guitar riffs and on-the-pulse lyrics. Silverbacks are a 5-piece band from Dublin, Ireland. Taking their cues from the taut rhythms and urgent drive of late 70s punk and the discordant, unpredictable freak-outs of NYC no wave, they craft a signature sound spiked with triple guitar riffs, a motorik rhythm section and on-the-pulse lyrics. The band have independently released a string of singles produced by Girl Band bassist Daniel Fox, beginning in 2018 with Dunkirk and Just In The Band, each of which drew support on both sides of the Atlantic. 2019 saw the arrival of follow-up tracks Pink Tide, and then Sirens, which was part of a double A side 7-inch released with second single Drool by UK independent label Nice Swan Records in January 2020. These single releases were backed by festival appearances at Simple Things, Swn, Eurosonic and Electric Picnic, headline shows in the UK and Ireland and supporting Girl Band on their sold-out UK tour dates. Debut album Fad represents the sound of a band trying to make sense of a noisy and disjointed world - one that competes for your attention at every turn. For them, it has come to be a symbol of what it feels like to try and absorb the world through both fleeting moments in front of screens, and prolonged obsessive periods filled with focus. They pull apart pop-culture in search of new meaning, whether it's a nod to The Simpsons (Fad 95), imagining a lost John Hughes film (Klub Silberrücken), spiralling downwards into youtube deep-dives (Pink Tide), or making sense of youth culture through The Urban Dictionary (Grinning At The Lid). Much in the same way that modern life can be defined by its unpredictability, Silverbacks colourful, vivid and exuberant songs dismantle their source material and end up in places that you don't think they will. It can be heard in the spidering guitar lines of opening track Dunkirk, or Pink Tide's Thin Lizzy-aping riffery, Fad 95's overt Pavement influence, Up The Nurses' Blondie injection or Last Orders' The Fall-inspired tale of escapism. Grinning At The Lid's huge gang vocal chorus even recalls New Fellas-era The Cribs. Elsewhere Just In The Band draws on tales of Bowie and Iggy Pop's friendship, and Muted Gold having sprouted from a time spent practising Afrobeat and highlife guitar techniques shines a light on situations in which women are continually inundated with unsolicited advice. All over Fad are the fingerprints of a band clawing their way through the remains of the day, seeing what there is to uncover. Silverbacks are: Daniel O'Kelly Vocals/Guitar, Kilian O'Kelly Guitar/Vocals, Emma Hanlon Bass/Vocals, Peadar Kearney Guitar, Gary Wickham Drums.