Dangerous Minds, meets PENGUINSRISING, a British trio who make psychedelic, punk-tinged electronica/rock that feels like the missing link between the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Sneaker Pimps-era of 90s trip-hop. The group have just released their debut single through the “world-tronica” label Generation Bass, with a video featuring some familiar faces from British film and TV.
And yes, amidst all that genre-based word soup you’ve just waded through, I made up the phrase “world-tronica” as a catch-all for global dance genres represented by Generation Bass, genres like Moombahton and Zouk Bass. While making up fake genres is one of my favorite passtimes, both of those are real, I swear I didn’t make them up, and are definitely worth checking out if forward-thinking dance grooves float your boat.
PENGUINSRISING are a very different kettle of fish—or maybe that should be flock of birds—although still roughly falling somewhere in the “rock music” domain, their sound brings together some disparate influences not usually associated with rock. It very much stands out for being from anything Generation Bass has put out before (while, on new single “HateMale” at least, retaining the non-Western musical elements that set the label apart.)
50 years after the dawn of the psychedelic era, sitars and tablas may seem a bit passé, but in these hands they are pleasingly funky, nicely weaving in and out of the almost housey rhythm, while front woman Sshh’s awesome voice swings from Karen O rasp one minute to Kelli Ali croon the next.
Not that anything less than briliance would have been expected from PENGUINSRISING; the trio also counts among its members sometimes-Stereophonics drummer Javier Wayler, and Zak Starkey on guitar. The name Zak Starkey seem familiar? It might be, seeing as he’s drummed for both Oasis and The Who in the past, and counts a certain Mr Ringo Starr as his dad. So, you see, the connection to top-quality, boundary pushing pop for these guys isn’t just an idea or an aspiration, it’s literally in their blood:
You can find out more about PENGUINSRISING on their website, and you can download “HateMale” right here: