“I refuse to become what you call normal.”
Dwelling in England by way of Sicily, the band West Wickhams (Jon Othello and Elle Flores) are a psychedelic post-punk duo with a singular sound unlike anything else heard in this modern era. Taking influence from the atmosphere that surrounds them, the place that they call home has a long history of being a ‘land of lost souls, home to subtropical plants and shipwrecked figureheads.
Alluding to the creative womb that gave birth to the Siouxsie and the Banshees, Billy Idol, and more, West Wickhams imagine themselves as a rival gang to punk style icons the Bromley Contingent. And not unlike the Banshees, their broad influences include Mary Shelley, Whitby Abbey, Gothic novels, Edgar Allan Poe, and Andy Warhol.
Now the band has released a new single and title track from their EP “Consider Her Way”; the accompanying video features a vintage rendition of Alice In Wonderland and the band released this quote from Through The Looking Glass.
“She just kept the tips of her fingers on the hand-rail, and floated gently down without even touching the stairs with her feet: then she floated on through the hall, and would have gone straight out at the door in the same way, if she hadn’t caught hold of the door-post. What a noise they make when they tumble! Just like a whole set of fire-irons falling into the fender! And how quiet the horses are! They let them get on and off them just as if they were tables!”
The band elaborate on the premise:
“Jane…has taken a drug thought to induce out-of-body experiences. She wakes up not as herself, but in a body unknown to her. Initially she has amnesia. She has mentally time travelled into the future, where society is made up only of women. Jane’s initial contacts have not even heard of men; they believe her to be mad…It’s a great huge game of chess that’s being played—all over the world—if this is the world at all, you know.”
Watch the video for “Consider Her Way” below:
Following the title track of “Consider Her Way”, the EP continues its strange sonic journey with the mysterious “Les Mepris (Underwater)”, an unsettling track whose sound lies somewhere in between Lynchian Americana and old-school post-punk.
“This Circus Is Over” on the other hand, is experimental post-punk at its finest, sounding like The Cure via Colin Newman’s highly influential band Wire.
The EP continues the foray into a minimalist old-school sound with “The Zap Gun”, with its disorienting pulsing of minor chords evoking early Siouxsie and the Banshees.
The final track, “Turning Into Someone Else” is a psychedelic dirge that slowly builds momentum towards a repeating lament accented by chimes and subtle distortion, underscoring the eponymous theme of the song.
Altogether Consider Her Way is an anachronistic record unstuck from time, sounding like a lost avant-garde gem unearthed after a John Peel auction.
Listen to the full EP below:
Consider Her Way is out now via WW003. A limited-edition CD EP is a one-off release with Golden Believers Records.
To celebrate the release, twenty-five Consider Her Way artwork editions will be available exclusively on Golden Believers Records Bandcamp.
Additionally, West Wickhams are scheduled to perform live throughout the summer.
Dates below:
June
- 25th Scarborough Resurrection Festival
AUGUST
- 12th Peak Cavern The Devils Arse w/ The Chameleons
- 13th Brighton Concorde 2 At The Edge of the Sea Festival
SEPTEMBER
- 16th Birmingham O2 Institute w/ Half Man Half Biscuit
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