Fountaineer channel modernised post-punk on brilliant new track "Still Life"

The band's latest track, "Still Life" is a rocking and highly danceable throwback - think the wiry guitar lines and driving drums of Joy Division’s "Transmission" blended with with the warped vocals and dreamy synths of Washed Out and White Lies. The song owes much to the masters of 80s post-punk. Not ten seconds in we hear the pop of a dry, insistent drum machine. Swirling guitars and synth pads create an immediately retro feel. The vocals, too, are reminiscent of the navel gazing, brooding vulnerability of Curtis and Sumner. Yet Fountaineer frontman Anthony White’s muse is the band’s hometown, Bendigo, rather than Thatcher-era Salford, and while mumbled lyrics allude to bygone days, the warmth of the production ensures that "Still Life" is no carbon copy. In part, that’s because "Still Life" has all the precision and gravity of a modern indie-rock track, resulting in complex, textured layers that give the track a real sense of depth. It's therefore no surprise that the band were picked up by Triple J Unearthed. Fountaineer made it onto their Staff Top 10 for 2015 and are hotly tipped for further success in 2016. The band says of the track: "'Still Life' is about small minds and small towns. It’s a comment on the apathy and indifference of friends and acquaintances; about people content watching life slip by, and about us reaching for something bigger than what seems to be on offer. It captures the restlessness many people feel living in a small place. We referenced Johnny Cash’s American albums when producing the track; aiming for an unsettling soundscape which spoke of hurt as well as hope and redemption. We also listened to Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus album for some ideas." Stream "Still Life" below as Song Of The Day. Words: Holly Manners

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