While WH Lung’s name might suggest a nod to the likes of WH Auden and similarly austere literary figures, it actually comes from a Chinese supermarket in their native Manchester. This deliberate blurring of high and low culture is part of the appeal of the enigmatic three-piece (Joseph E on vocals/synths, Tom S on guitar and Tom P on bass), their songs juxtaposing simplicity with free-ranging experimentation. But even more key is their ability to seamlessly meld genres – krautrock, post-punk and synthpop, most prominently – to create songs that are fresh and exciting yet familiar-sounding and accessible.
Their recently released debut album, Incidental Music (with a cover painting by Joseph E), finds a sweet midpoint between Hookworms’ 2018 album Microshift (understandably overlooked after abuse allegations), LCD Soundsystem and Giorgio Moroder, with sparkling synth lines atop irresistible motorik beats, and brimming over with ideas. Also citing Thelonious Monk, Prince and Julia Holter as reference points, Tom P says: “Structurally, it’s nice to draw from anywhere. There are definite points at which we tried to be ambitious.” Witness recent single Simpatico People, with chiming guitar lines and Joseph E’s mantra-like vocals layered on an insistent, propulsive rhythm to dazzling effect.
Conceived as a studio project, the trio, who have known each other since school and had played together in various bands in the decade since, first caused a stir with their 2017 single Inspiration!/Nothing Is. Once they’d put together a live band, they performed at festivals including Green Man and End of the Road that summer, where Joseph E’s idiosyncratic dancing style prompted comparisons to Ian Curtis and Jarvis Cocker. Having been largely studio-bound since, their forthcoming tour should be well worth catching.
• Incidental Music is out now on Melodic. WH Lung’s UK tour starts in Liverpool on 11 May
