Vampire Hands’ ‘Me & You Cherry Red / Cuz It’s a Beach Funeral’ combine numerous recent trends: the ever popular noise of Wavves, the psychedelia of White Magic and Sun Araw, and the garage rock of Black Lips and the Crystal Stilts. Vocals range from high-pitched wailing to low, monotonous drone, all coupled with dominating tribal beats and rhythmic cymbals that could have been sampled from a Panda Bear track. The album’s first half – Me & You Cherry Red – is newer and contains some of the band’s catchiest and most popular songs, such as “No Fun” and “Safe World.” The second section, Cuz It’s A Beach Funeral, is more lo-fi and experimental, with odd, distorted instrumental tracks such as “Beach Funeral.” Overall this is a band to watch out for! Up until now they have made a name for themselves by regularly opening for Wavves, but the varied and unique sound of this record will surely make Vampire Hands much more independent and significant.
-JANE