CURRENT AFFAIRS

Off The Tongue (Tough Love)

Rolling in from the Glasgow circuit, four-piece Current Affairs hone their strengths to fuse post-punk with new wave pop on their debut album.

Joan Sweeney (ex-Rose McDowall’s Band, Aggi Doom, The Royal We), Gemma Fleet (The Wharves, Order of the Toad, Dancer), Andrew Milk (Shopping, Pink Pound) and Sebastian Ymai (Comidillo Tapes, Pissy, ex-Anxiety) hail from different backgrounds, but have been within each another’s orbit for years, forming Current Affairs in 2020. Off The Tongue is a seamless product of this union.

Blending Sweeney’s high-powered soaring vocals, which emulate the 90s stylings of the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, with spellbinding punk-textured instrumentation, it is a no-frills collection from the reverberating electronic warble that introduces No Fuss to the lush wash of guitar melodies that drive Her Own Private Multiverse. A fully charged record, Riled and Get Wrecked serve as the climatic halfway point, padded by a transition of metallic synth spins before regaining its footing via fuzzy, droning guitar licks and pounding percussion.

Current Affairs’ debut album is one that aims to make a statement while having the potential for broad appeal with its ageless tones. In the band’s own words – “Everyone’s welcome, but don’t get it twisted.” 

words KAYLA SANDIFORD