Team Picture’s ‘Air, Not Air’ is a swirling, fuzz-laden maelstrom of intoxicating psychedelia, which leaves the mind liquefied and the lungs breathless. The Leeds based ensemble are the perfect example of a band consistently pushing the boundaries of their sound. They are explorers, adventurers into the dark recesses of guitar based music. Indeed, much like Indiana Jones, they emerge from the sonic cave with a moody swagger that makes you want to put on a pair blacked-out circular glasses, and start saying things like: ‘Fuck the monarchy!’, or ‘The new Star Wars film is largely overrated’.
In ‘Air, Not Air’, Team Picture tap into that nostalgia for ’70s psychedelia which still pervades the alternative music scene. However they manage to keep their musical feet firmly rooted in the post-punk attitude that permeates their sound. We are subsequently presented with a record which seems to be in constant turmoil, one which seems to wriggle and jitter like a dog in a cage.
At the centre of the track there sits a throbbing, richly textured riff which oozes its way forward as the bass and lead guitar melt together in perfect synchronisation. With a haze-fuelled groove fully established, a wash of distorted vocals breathe a punk-infused angst into the mix.
Team Picture reject any notion of a pre-established writing structure. Rather they pivot around a central riff, which develops to a point of climax, before it crumbles and descends into a psychotropic pool of reverse delay, expansive reverb, and butter-mellow synth lines.
Listening to ‘Air, Not Air’, is a mind-altering experience. The jittering pulsations of Team Picture’s guitars allow for a track which evolves like a living entity, one that rejects the confines of its caged existence and breaks out into the world, tearing through everything it comes across.
The new track ‘Air, Not Air’ is released through Clue Records’ singles club, Clue Club. And available to purchase on iTunes and also from MusicGlue.
Team Picture support The Wytches on May 25th at Headrow House, Leeds. Check out their other dates below:
May 25th – Headrow House, Leeds
July 9th – Bluedot Festival, Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield
August 5th – Humber Street Sesh, Hull
