The Line Of Best Fit's Kayleigh Watson on The Wha's 40 Odd Years
There’s often a fine line with a lot of modern guitar music that looks over its shoulder to decade X, Y or Z for more than a little ‘inspo’.
In my mid-20s and by no means wizened (though I sometimes feel I’m on my way, with Oasis vs Blur being an ‘Historical Music Moment’), I’ve reached a point where I’ve really started noticing bands and artists younger than myself who are borrowing without care from their icons of the past.
That’s why it’s always heartening to encounter a band that, for all that their influences on their sleeves, still manage to imbue things with a sense of youth and originality. New Yorkers The Lemon Twigs come to mind, and with their new release 40 Odd Years, so do The Wha.
The Kilkenny band’s name may be a touch quizzical (‘you wha’ mate?’ etc), but their intent (and love of The Beatles) is anything but.
With lyricism wry enough to raise a smirk, the track, out now on Chess Club, tells the tale of “a grandmother turning lesbian and her lover subsequently murdering her husband” amidst bright rhythms and gleeful riffage. Oh, and they’re all aged between 18 and 19. Go grab your moisturiser.
