Oyster Cuts

Description

Oyster Cuts, the debut album by the Australian band Quivers on Merge Records, reveals that the band is overwhelmed by the kind of emotions people tend to fear losing themselves in. Driven by melodies that sometimes evoke Galaxie 500 and The Pretenders, Quivers creates tender yet tough music, compelling the listener to dive in again and again, with each song offering a new angle on all your feelings. Using tape loops — which open and close Oyster Cuts, encircling the album like sharks — Quivers emphasizes repetition, deploying shaped riffs and navigating circular thoughts until they swell to their breaking point. Their variety of dreamy, sun-bleached jangle pop is leaner and more muscular, with their observational palette darkening with touches of The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, and The Durutti Column.