It’s a Scandi affair
Who?
Crisp Wolves – a lupine-themed brand of potato-based snack, I hear you ask? Fortunately not. It’s actually the new project from ex-Scott 4 “electronic cowpunk” Scott Blixen and his 10-year-old son Kaspar, who developed an interest in electronic music as a result of the music-making gear his old man often left lying around the house. This fresh outfit also comes with its own deliciously tongue-in-cheek backstory, which details two couriers who set sail from Scandinavia to Britain armed with kindness, synthesisers and party snacks. It might all sound a little bizarre at first, but rest assured, once you have heard the duo’s often revelrous, consistently zany compositions, it will all begin to fall into place.
Why Crisp Wolves?
The group’s eponymous debut album was self-released earlier this year and is a testament to the power of the process the Blixens refer to as “the ecstasy of inadvertent discovery”. As such, most tracks carry with them an invigorating undercurrent of playful spontaneity, starting off with a simple synth part that gradually develops into something more expansive. The second track ‘Eleki Haburashi’, for instance, begins as an ominous three-chord pattern backed by a thudding beat, but later becomes what sounds like a ‘Computer World’ outtake, while the mellow, spaced-out ‘Love Eternal’ evolves into a lush chorus of vocals swathed in reverb.
Tell Us More…
The fact that every single track on Crisp Wolves’ debut sounds as though it was immensely entertaining to make should not distract from the top-tier musical ability showcased on the album. Beneath the wacky narrative, madcap samples and distorted declarations of surreal phrases – such as “We too are crisp wolves!” – lies some genuinely well-crafted, and at times poignant electronic music that you can really lose yourself in. Bonkers this duo may be, but unworthy of your time they are not.
‘Crisp Wolves’ is out via Bandcamp
