Matthew Amos
Hey, I’m a photographer and writer based between Reading and Cornwall. I’ve been going to gigs since my 2016 indie phase (which admittedly I’m still in) but also love rock and punk. I love taking photographs which capture the atmosphere of live music.
Post-punk duo Highschool are making their mark with latest single ‘Sony Ericsson‘ from their upcoming self-titled debut album
Melbourne formed, now London based, HighSchool have released the next puzzle piece from their upcoming self-titled debut album, set to release October 31, ‘Sony Ericsson’.
With this release and the previous singles ‘149’ and ‘Dipped’ they are building a melancholic dreamscape. ‘Sony Ericsson’ grips you with its lo-fi, drowned out guitars and vocals, alike to the sombre, dark synth-heavy sound of Belarusian band Molchat Doma. There are undoubtedly influences from the 1980s post-punk and new wave scene weaved through the track as well.
However, a near constant snare beat keeps the track distinctly HighSchool and acts as a thread, connecting the various rough-edged chiming guitar melodies, riffs and vocal elements together.
The band have taken their name as inspiration to create a track that resonates with the adolescent experience, notably navigating relationships, in an era where everything is becoming digital. For instance, the mixed emotions that come with being left on read (or perhaps worse- delivered) and the false facades that exist on dating app profiles. This sense of teenage angst is clear from the get-go where in the opening line it discusses the over-analysing of a text stating ‘I never know why I get so scared, reading over a message’.
HighSchool have created a single with a tone fitting for this time of year where the nights are drawing in and a grey gloom descends upon us. It also cements their status as being one of post-punk’s hidden gems. A status that this album could and should change as they are a band that deserves to be on everyone’s lips.
Listen to ‘Sony Ericsson‘ here: