Best Fit: Ones To Watch 2014: Thumpers

Collaborative duo John (Jack) Hamson, Jr and Marcus Pepperell – veterans of a long lasting friendship and two stints together in earlier bands - pour their shared experience into the creation of a sound that’s as articulate as it is profound. In a year when the UK music scene is firing on all cylinders, Thumpers bring a massively ambitious slant to their expansive musical vision, skewing expectations for what a guitar band should be. It’s a vision that taps into the same place as the euphoria, sadness and opportunity that The Flaming Lips cut into “Do You Realise”.

Thumpers’ debut EP (Dancing’s Done) dropped as a joint release via indie labels Kissibility and Paraydse at the start of the year and they signed to Sub Pop in the US on the strength of upcoming 2014 debut Galore. It’s a record with a core that channels reflection, nostalgia and a triumph over adversity – personal and professional – that feels completely like a completely natural step for this two friends.

“There’s an element of our history that weighs us down,” explains Hamson. “The last band was relatively long ago and wasn’t even for that long. Our history together is what his band’s about.”

“You feel the benefit of experience and have a completely different perspective that doesn’t drive you insane,” adds Pepperell.

Their potential extends beyond the fuzzy boundaries of the tracks we’ve heard so far. As a live unit, they’re a real band with friends onstage taking equally important roles in the production a communal experience and its trans formative nature.

“Describing us as happy clappy is bullshit,” asserts Hamson. “I play drums and he sings. Those are the key elements.”