NY dreampoppers are stars in the making
Who?
Chanel Beads is the stage name of Minnesota-born artist Shane Lavers. Now based in New York, he regularly performs with fellow creative Maya McGrory, and together they make up one of the most brain-zappingly original bands you’ll have come across in a long time. Think AR Kane’s raw musicality, throw in the irreverently lo-fi approach of cult experimentalist Dean Blunt, add a dash of Gotham grit and you’re halfway there.
Why Chanel Beads?
Their name might evoke luxury, but these Chanel Beads are the kind that might have dropped into the sewers under Wall Street and sprayed out of a grimy fire hydrant behind a disused warehouse in Bushwick. They are DIY through and through, both in terms of sound and visuals. ‘Zut Alors’, their debut release in 2018, brings to mind Homeshake’s gentle indie rock stonerisms. Four years later, however, their startling single ‘Ef’ lurched towards a much tighter and sharper style, revealing a dreamily introspective take on post-punk that melds acoustic and electronic elements to utter perfection (I challenge anyone to listen to it and not succumb to a compulsion to shout about them from the pulpit). That also goes for ‘Police Scanner’, their latest beautiful, strings-drenched single featuring violinist Zachary Paul, taken from their upcoming debut album due in April.
Tell Us More…
After signing to Jagjaguwar during the autumn of 2023, Chanel Beads embarked on their first European tour, with a quick stop-off in London. If anything, the show evidenced that not only can they do it on record, but on stage too, with Lavers’ presence beguilingly skittish. Make sure you’re hooked up to their socials so you don’t miss out next time around.
‘Police Scanner’ is out on Jagjaguwar
