‘Crossing’, from New Zealand band Sulfate, is a delicious, fuzzy, angst-ridden piece of darkness that buzzes with a satisfying intensity. A metallic syncopated undercurrent is swamped by angular, crunchy guitars and yearning vocals that have echoes of the brittle, observational delivery of the Robert Forster side of The Go-Betweens.
The themes match the gothic darkness of the music, as Peter Ruddell says:
This track is a comment about how we, as New Zealanders, have lofty ideals but often don’t follow through with them in tangible ways. We talk about having a strong social voice on the global stage, and how clean, green and pristine our country is, but our track-record tells us otherwise. Sonically, we wanted this song to capture the expanse of New Zealand’s scenery — how we are in awe of its beauty, and blissfully unaware of the ongoing social concerns which plague us.
This is exciting stuff: dark indie fare with a bite and a passion:
Sulfate features Peter Ruddell (Wax Chattels), Hariet Ellis (Na Noise, Dick Move), and David Harris (Princess Chelsea, Jonathan Bree).
Sulfate have been signed to the venerable Flying Nun Records and ‘Crossing’ will be on the band forthcoming album ‘Godzone’ to be released on 10 September 2021. You can stream/download the single here and pre-order the album (and access the single) through the link below:
Feature Photograph: Courtney Rodgers
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