Last month, South Coast quartet hairpin dropped ‘Curtain Call’, an ideal introduction to their scuzzy post-hardcore sound – it’s taken from their debut EP Modern Day Living which (a) is out now, and (b) absolutely rules.
The four-piece is made up of current and former members of Lost in the Riots, Nervus and Weatherstate—namely, Adam Edwards, Perry Sears, Sam Marsh and Callan Milward—and we’re all about the five songs that make up their first offering, to the extent that we asked frontperson Adam to dive into five musical influences that went into the making of the record. He obliged and got the whole band involved, coming back to us with references, next steps and photos of the records in question. Get familiar with the Modern Day Living EP below and read on for Adam’s summation of the music that made it.
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Weezer – The Blue Album (1994, DGC)
An absolute classic and a record that every member of our band loves. It’s hard to think of anything that’s not already been said about the Blue Album and its influence. On the surface, it’s a simple indie rock record, but every subsequent listen reveals the band’s unconstrained and excellent songwriting. Perry’s love for the record even landed him playing guitar in a Blue Album covers band in 2013 (I saw them – they were good).
Essential listen: ‘The World Has Turned and Left Me Here’
Follow up with: Pinkerton (1996)
Hot Snakes – Automatic Midnight (2000, Swami)
It’s incredibly difficult for me to pick any one Hot Snakes album as most influential (or to be honest, any single project that John Reis has played in). This is Hot Snakes’ debut and marks the reunion of the late Rick Froberg and John Reis, since Drive Like Jehu disbanded. It’s an album I go back to often and I’m always blown away by their ability to marry dissonance and hooks.
Essential listen: ‘Our Work Fills the Pews’
Follow up with: Go chronologically – Suicide Invoice (2002) – then seek out DLJ’s Yank Crime (1994)
The Dirty Nil – Master Volume (2018, Dine Alone)
Unashamedly rock’n’roll. This record is full of infectious riffs, attitude and feedback that makes my spine shake. Luke Bentham’s stage presence is something to behold and they are a band I’d recommend everyone see live. I’ve chosen Master Volume due to it being the first album they released after I’d seen them live and having that feeling of excitement waiting to hear what was coming next – I was not disappointed. Their direct influence was most apparent on a track that was recorded, but ultimately cut from the EP – maybe that’ll surface one day.
Essential listen: ‘Evil Side’
Follow up with: Fuck Art (2021)
Wipers – Over The Edge (1983, Trap/Restless)
This is my favourite Wipers album. I’m very fond of Greg Sage’s lyricism about alienation and his trademark droning guitar tone. Coming to this album after initially hearing Is This Real? in my early twenties (and since learning that they were an influence on John Reis) it first struck me how clear their impact on bands like Hot Snakes is and how much of that sound resonates with me. I was listening to this record a lot when writing the song ‘Wiped’ and I wanted to try and capture some of the vibe this record has.
Essential listen: ‘No One Wants An Alien’
Follow up with: Is This Real? (1980)
Supercrush – SODO Pop (2020, Don Giovanni)
I am a complete sucker for big hooky choruses, which Supercrush have absolutely mastered on this record. SODO Pop is a summer album for me, but one that tonally feels bittersweet. Our band’s take on the classic power-pop sound—which is at the core of SODO Pop—can be heard at the end of both ‘Okay Thru There’ and Wiped.
Essential listen: I Didn’t Know (We Were Saying Goodbye)
Follow up with: Melody Maker EP (2022)
