DIY staff writer Rachel Finn on Public Practice's Slow Down.
A Brooklyn DIY supergroup of sorts, Public Practice were formed from the ashes of the now defunct New York punk band Wall and pop outfit Beverly. Now, the four-piece combine their respective songwriting skills to create something altogether more abrasive and immediate. Last year’s debut EP Distance Is A Mirror was four tracks of post-punk with a funky, danceable edge, but on new single Slow Down they take things to a more urgent level.
Slow Down is an anti-consumerist anthem that builds from a juddering start to an explosive finish, and the band say its rapid-fire guitars act as “a testimony to the mayhem of living in New York City”.
It’s a caustic reaction against the need to constantly want and require more, anchored by singer Sam York’s brilliantly blunt vocals, which get ever more frantic as she intones “It’s better to buy than be left behind!” on each chorus.
Partly inspired by cult guitarist Robert Quine as well as later-era Captain Beefheart, it’s both raucous and fun and, as one of their more straightforward, cutting tracks, is sure to come roaring into life on stage. See them in Brighton, London and Bristol this week.
