Rotterdam's Bombstrap are a riotous and theatrical fusion of sound, look and attitude, fronted by visual artist and singer Eva Kah, whose in-your-face act blends righteous anger, nihilistic energy and bad taste.
The band, based in the squatted centre Het Poortgebouw, are a noisy counterblast to the gentrification of Rotterdam. Their debut album Big Enemy is out now via Tartarus, and they are set to play the Le Guess Who festival.
Sound and influences
Bombstrap's uncompromising attitudes betray links to Manchester's punk and squat scenes, with previous members of the extended Gnod family having played with them. Their sound is a shifting, amorphous mix of chopped-up rhythms and raw, high-decibel punk guitars, possibly harking back to prog-punk gonzoids such as the Pink Fairies.
Kah's vocals evoke the warning screams and ululations of a crone over the grave of Achilles. The band are described as one of the last cries of homegrown, communal, anarcho hippy-punkdom, with no career path in sight.
This week's best new tracks
Clementine Douglas – So Precious: Self-penned and self-produced, this is deep and dramatic vocal house from the British singer normally found alongside Calvin Harris and Dom Dolla.
DJ Heartstring – 3am/4am (ft Monk, 3ndles5 & Crazymike): The German duo get Monk to flow over breakbeat euphoria, with shades of Real Lies' nocturnal social realism in 3ndles5's spoken verse.
Josh Johnson – Jazz Chord Possession: The jazz saxophonist, sideman to Jeff Parker and producer to Meshell Ndegeocello and Flea, sets two sweetly swaying melodic motifs against each other with analogue synth burbling out back.
Isaac Kniveton – Love Groove: Bright psychedelia in the British producer's Kompakt-style techno-pop, peppy and woozy at once.
Anamanaguchi – Sucker Punch: The New Yorkers pair crunching chords with delicate electronic detailing, building a dense bank of shoegaze illuminated by neon light.
Metoronori – Lights of the Bay: From the new album Forgot Reef Number, this track has a music-box prettiness with otherworldly beauty and wrongfooting shifts.
Waterbaby – Creek: The Stockholm singer-songwriter returns with a waltzing lullaby, full of her trademark blend of wounded emotion and stoic endurance.
