Twisted, funky and humorous. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Warmduscher…
Formed as an impromptu band for a New Year’s Eve house party back in 2014 the five-piece fuses the talents of pre-existing bands Fat White Family, Childhood and Paranoid London, consisting of members Clams Baker Jr, Lightnin’ Jack Everett, Quicksand, Mr. Salt Fingers Lovecraft and The Witherer aka Little Whiskers.
Considering they sound like superhero rejects and were formed as a spur of the moment laugh they’ve now evolved into a fully solidified collective. In the 6 years since their formation they’ve worked with inspiration Iggy Pop, toured the UK and Europe and released three albums; with their latest release ‘Tainted Lunch’ being sandwiched between the two Fontaines D.C. albums on 4 x mercury prize nominated producer Dan Carey’s list of records.
There’s really not much that can be predicted from these guys with each track taking you to places you’ve definitely never visited before. However, they are kind enough to introduce you to their love of hellish humour and irony from the get-go as ‘Warmduscher’ is a German slang term for a ‘wimp’ but this insult far from applies to them, as their bold moves in producing dark and adventurous ‘fractured rock’ is quite the opposite of cowardly.
Now Like I mentioned, Warmduscher are hard to predict and for that very reason just as hard to define because they mash together so many different sounds; many of which no one would expect to hear together. One minute they’re dark disco funk on tracks like Disco Peanuts (I feel like you can begin to pick up on their erratic nature here without even needing a listen), then the next they’re storming macho rock on The Warm Smell of Florida and dark and grinding Midnight Dipper whilst also capable of bringing a surprisingly sweeter side in the melancholy boogie of Summertime Tears.
Despite being London based and clearly incorporating plenty of post-punk with their turbulent guitars and bouncing basslines, their frontman Clams Baker Jr was born and raised in Massachusetts and brings an American croon to the mix. When backed by their thick sound you feel like you’re trying to hitchhike in a heated desert which has resulted in comparison to bands such as the surprisingly English Alabama 3. Baker Jr sites the legendary James Brown as an influence, which really reveals itself in his narration-like vocals on the slow-burning intro of 1000 Whispers before reaching delightful screams that lead back into a smooth melody.
As well as capturing the soul of Brown in Clams’ singing there’s also that groove in the music on songs like Dream Lotion and the hip-hop infused Burner featuring Kool Keith- a song about getting your hands on some drugs (which I’m certain they must have done before writing this as well as many others). Standing On the Corner is one that instantly comes to mind as a trip fuelled track with psychedelic undertones lying beneath heavy riffs- accompanied by a mental music video to match.
Besides these varying sounds, there’s also the techno transportation of Uncle Sleepover that throws you right into a video game with its laser blasts and warping synths which is again quite a contrast to the likes of Tiny Letters; a song with a gentle melody at its core layered with those screams again, proving that whatever you listen to you’re taken to a new unknown destination.
The band have always embraced a real ‘go with the flow’ attitude as all members have other projects that mean they can’t solely dedicate their time to Warmduscher. They never had much time for rehearsals or multiple takes so recorded their albums by splitting them into halves and doing whole takes as they would with live performances- injecting real energy into their releases. Things are just as impulsive when it comes to actually being in front of crowds too; making lyrics up on the spot which explains such random lines as ‘I won’t pay for their discos, I’m not gonna buy their sandwiches’ and ‘trippin at the Weatherspoons’.
Recently, as they’ve developed further they have become a little more structured; reworking a few things where they can in order to get the best out of what they’ve got which has resulted in a beast of an album. They still continue to appear just as spontaneous to gig-goers in their manic stage presence though and I doubt they’ll be falling into too many generic conventions- still coming out with ideas ‘from the back rooms of your minds’.
It’s safe to say that Warmduscher really have their own way of doing things and thanks to this are one of the strangest things but also greatest things that I’ve listened to in quite some time. With their melting mixture of ideas, they’re bound to feature something that you love too, so take a listen to the madness yourself.
Warmduscher on Spotify
