We first heard the name Cut The Crab back in 2014 when their single Mai Mee Kam Tob (Without Doubt) was featured in the Future Sound Of Bangkok's envelope-pushing debut compilation. Besides being one of the most forward-thinking records of that year, the compilation also gave us a sample of what local talents were capable of. Along with eclectic artists ranging from DCNXTR and Gramaphone Children (Jaree Thanapura) to Nolens.Volens. and Plastic Section, Cut The Crab stood out among the gifted bunch as a highly promising newcomer with a keen ear for electro-pop brilliance. Even though the band hasn't been exactly prolific over the past few years, the trio-turned-duo are now back at it with the release of their self-titled debut EP, a six-track collection that's been nearly half a decade in the making.
ormerly signed with Yaak Lab and Nudsko's Box Records, Thitinun Swasdikula and Nuttakorn Kraivichien have found a new home with GMM Grammy's Sanamluang Music. If anything, this change seems to have reinvigorated the duo and spurred them into action. And by action, we mean a proper release such as this one. Containing their early materials as well as some new jams from last year, the self-titled, six-track EP gives us a solid overview of their artistic trajectory -- a sonic progression from 80s-leaning synth-pop to something a little more sleek and polished.
I Should Have Seen opens the set with sophisticated piano chords supported by vibrant percussions. "Do you know how it feels/ When you break my heart?" the pair duet before a synth breakdown. This is by far the most legit piece of house music we've had the pleasure of hearing from a Thai band. Try To Forget kicks off with glowing synths and takes us right to a funky town with groovy basslines.
Meanwhile Mai Mee Kam Tob (Without Doubt), Tor Pai Bab Nee Tor Pai (What Else Can I Do) and Tha Kid Muan Gun (If You Think The Same) veer off into a dance-pop-slash-R&B territory, making them the three most radio-friendly offerings in the collection. The EP concludes with a stunning number Things Go Bad. First released in 2016, the song stands the test of time today, thanks to its glacial pace and retro dark atmospherics reminiscent of the Stranger Things soundtrack.
Quotable lyrics: "When I see you, things go bad/ When I want you/ Things go bad" (Things Go Bad).
Listen to this: I Should Have Seen, Try To Forget, Things Go Bad.
THE PLAYLIST
FKA twigs / Cellophane
British singer-songwriter Tahliah Barnett, FKA twigs, has made a name for herself as an R&B futurist who largely operates in electronic glitches, negative spaces, and whispery vocals. Now, four years after the release of 2015's M3LL155X EP, she's finally back with a new single called Cellophane and it's a thing of heart-wrenching beauty. "Didn't I do it for you? Why don't I do it for you? … They want to see us, want to see us alone/ They want to see us, want to see us apart," she intones alongside a spare piano chord, alluding to all the cyberbullying hurled her way while she was dating Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Co-produced by Jeff Kleinmana and Michael Uzowuru (Frank Ocean, Jorja Smith, Kevin Abstract), the song slow-burns its way through twigs' perfectly imperfect soprano. "They're waiting … They're watching us/ They're hating … And hoping I'm not enough," her voice trails off and vanishes, leaving nothing behind but a stunned silence.
Colourless Dentist / Cybersurf
The "half-Bangkokian, half-Ubon" musician operating under the moniker Colourless Dentist rolls out another gem worth dropping everything for. Compared to its predecessors Singha Apocalypse and Saturated Noise, Cybersurf goes a notch higher (and harder) with surging guitar riffs and skittering drums. And although the first half runs a touch repetitive, the second half makes up for it with a smorgasbord of shimmering sound effects all vying for your undivided attention. Thrilling and immediate, this could easily fit right in with a chase scene in any dystopian blockbuster.
Allah-Las / Raspberry Jam
Brooklyn-based indie label Mexican Summer teams up with outdoor gear brand Pilgrim Surf + Supply to release Self Discovery For Social Survival, a film pairing pro surfers and musicians on their surf trips from Iceland to the Maldives, as well as an accompanying soundtrack featuring those same artists. Supplied by LA psych-rockers Allah-Las, lead cut Raspberry Jam is an instrumental piece packed full of trippy guitar lines and world beat percussions. It falls in line with the quartet's scruffy surf-rock sound and overall summery vibes while also recalling bands like Khruangbin and Skinshape. The soundtrack also features collaborations from Connan Mockasin and MGMT's Andrew VanWyndgarden and Peaking Lights.
Cage The Elephant / Social Clues
The title track from Cage The Elephant's latest record finds the American alt-rock sextet exploring the shopworn anxiety of being rich and famous. "I think it's strange when people say/ You're the next big thing, you'll never fade," frontman Matt Shultz sings on what could be the group's most pop-oriented track to date. "Hide me in the back room/ Tell me when it's over/ Don't know if I can play this part much longer," he continues in the singalong chorus -- only to be followed by a counterargument/self-consolation: "At least you're on the radio!"
Rammstein / Radio
Speaking of radio, here's a single called Radio from iconic Neue Deutsche Härte pioneers Rammstein. Released after their comeback jam Deutschland, the track marks the second taste of their forthcoming yet-to-be-titled album, the long-anticipated follow-up to 2009's sixth LP, Liebe Ist Für Alle Da. Musically, it's business as usual (think hard rock with goth and industrial metal thrown in for good measure). But as far as the songwriting goes, the Berlin icons earnestly pay tribute to the transformative powers of music. "Radio, mein Radio/ Ich lass' mich in den Äther saugen/ Meine Ohren werden Augen," singer Till Lindemann muses in his signature bass timbre, praising how music sucks him "into the ether" and his "ears become eyes".
