Astral Planes -‘Sit Down Child’ (Say Dirty/Lucky Number Nine)
…so, anyway.
A few weeks ago I was DJing at PinUps in Glasgow and then sat drinking with Matt and Billy from the Dirty Cuts (as you do). At some point during the night, I vaguely remember Matt telling me that the Paper Planes had changed their name, which lead to some stupid trivia comment from me about how Sleeper used to be called Surrender Dorothy, until they discovered there were lots of bands with that name, and I used to have a crush on Louise Wener fifteen years ago…and forgot what and why Paper Planes had changed their name and what to.
Anyway. Within a few days, those rather lovely folk at Say Dirty/Lucky Number Nine have sent me a copy of the latest EP from Paper Planes, and it transpires they’re now called Astral Planes. Whilst I’m not sure about the name, I am however very much convinced about this six track EP, and that this is a band who are going places.
Last year’s debut single ‘Doris Day’ -with it’s catchy chant of ‘How Absurd! How Obscene!’ reduced to four syllabes gave the impression of a band who did an excellent line in scots garage meets dirty US Country. Well, they do…but they have got so many other tricks up their sleeve. Follow-up single ‘the Sway’ isn’t here but its’ superior AA ‘disconnected I Know’ is- and shows that they can do classic pop, too.
There’s six tracks here, and seventeen minutes of music. The opening two seconds of opening track ‘Shut the Door’ wrongfoot you, in a brilliant way, rather like that scene from Carrie gets you every time. I’ve played this EP several times today, and I want to hear it again.
Awesome.
****1/2
Sit Down Child is released on June 14 on Say Dirty/Lucky Number Nine. The two singles ‘Doris Day’ and ‘Sway’ are available on download (credited to Paper Planes).