Called Koizilla, the group is a new project from brothers Zac and Josh Nichols and Connor Blackie, of the Violet-Ohs. The trio has just released its debut EP Blunder Brother.
"Well basically, I just listened to heaps of [Australian sonic madmen] King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and [garage legends] Thee Oh Sees and decided I had to be in a surf band,’’ Zac explains of the band’s origin.
"Josh and Connor were the closest people to me, so I got them on board.
"Josh showed me King Gizzard when we were in Australia once, and was like ‘you have to listen to the thing [album] without doing anything else’, and I was like ‘fine’, but then I ended up writing heaps of songs. They were great and I just went with it."
The trio recently won the OUSA Battle of the Bands, netting a bunch of prizes, including recording time at the Radio One studio with house engineer Steven Marr.
"The Battle of the Bands thing was more to just make us start doing stuff; we’re a bit slow-going. We applied before we’d really practised or anything," Zac said.
"The recording time they said was for two songs, but we figured a song’s worth of recording time is about four hours? And we thought we could bash out an EP in about eight hours so it seemed fine.
"You listen to King Gizzard and stuff and it just sounds like they went in a room and jammed out.
"There’s a Ty Segall quote about something like that, where he says if there’s one mistake it’s fine, if there’s two mistakes it’s still fine, if there’s three you can re-record it."
The EP has a wonderful live feel to it.
It’s fun, energetic experimentalism from a trio of ultra-talented musicians with plenty of wordless hooks, ripping leads and fuzzy freak-outs.
For Zac, the recording and performance process has taken a little getting used to, with him stepping into the lead vocalist role alongside his typical duties as guitarist.
"Singing was weird at first. I wrote all the songs really high, so I’ve been trying to figure out a way to sing them without ruining my voice."
If you’re looking for summer party music, go no further than single Krill.
Koizilla’s Blunder Brother EP is available now from Bandcamp.
To celebrate the release of their new EP, Koizilla plays the Attic on Friday, October 14.
PUTTING A HEX ON YOU
For their last 91Club of the year gig, Dunedin’s Radio One is hosting a triumvirate of talent at the Crown Hotel.
Headlining the show is Wellington sludge queens Hex.Part Black Sabbath, part Enya, the trio’s enchanting take on the world of rock, punk, and metal has a touch of the occult and Mother Earth.
The riffs grind and the vocals soar.
Also joining the line-up from Wellington is Womb.
Like diving into a pool of ambient sonic reverence, Womb’s sleepy-eyed cerebral timbres slyly rope you in to their gentle and brooding world.
Reigning Dunedin punk monarchs Astro Children, currently preparing to record a new album, cap off the line-up.
The gigs
• Koizilla Blunder Brother EP Release Party, Friday, October 14, at The Attic, upstairs 140 George St. Support from the Rothmans and Space Bats, Attack!. Entry is $5 on the door. BYO, no glass. koizilla.bandcamp.com
• Radio One & The 91 Club present Hex, Womb and Astro Children, Friday, October 14, Crown Hotel. Free Entry with your 2016 Onecard ($10 without). Doors at 9pm. R18.
