Excerpt: “I am perhaps a bit late to the party – given that Portland Oregon quartet Iretsu launched their album, Fang, late last year. However, with their second single, ‘Sexy, No?’ a recent release, I think it best to look at the track in the context of the album that it was recorded as part of. Provocative, in both title and bassline, Sexy, No? slouches and swaggers in a fashion that – despite the group’s avant-pop reputation is a little reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand’s Ulysses. That’s not to call it derivative, there’s too much nuance here for it to ever be a balls-to-the-wall pop song. However, the insistent bass riff and accompanying electric guitar hooks certainly leave this tune standing as one of the punchiest and most accessible of the 14 on the album…. Iretsu acquit themselves across a range of styles; the dreamy waltz of Sleep, sparsely arranged with whistles, tambourine and deep semi-spoken vocals is a gentle folk lullaby. Meanwhile, Ha Ra is reminiscent of a slightly-reserved Of Montreal; confident vocals, simple rhythm section and a smirking air that feels like it conceals an inside joke…. If you want Iretsu the indie pop band, the singles are the best place to start; however, if you’re after a more varied tapestry, Fang covers quite a lot of ground. The avant-everything label should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but even so, there is an abundance of genre-bending talent within the group and lovers of the eclectic will probably find plenty here to sink their teeth into.”
Hidden Shoal MixTape
