Picked up by EMI Records while still a high school band, their 2009 debut EP Bird and Bone exposed them to some early success, earning them an Apra Silver Scroll nomination in the process for the folk-tinged ballad, Autumn.
Their 2010 follow up Hearts saw an interruption of the alternative folkish-rock, with further electronic experimentalism and edgier guitar gaining a larger emphasis, while vocalist/songwriter Matthew Hope continued to write smart, poignant lyrics, always sung in his unique vocal phrasing.
At the centre of Hearts was a childlike sense of humour. The record's cover, depicting a beaming figure swimming fully dressed with a giant rubber duck, effectively summed up the playfulness of the upbeat music within.
The self-conscious emotional lyricism still remained, but now it found itself married to cuteness and twee. These were beautiful, lighthearted melodies telling of terrible, heart-wrenching things.
Two years on from the release of Hearts, Artisan Guns are releasing their debut album, Coral, and will perform in Dunedin next Thursday at Taste Merchants, with Males and Fat Children.
A mature, melancholic, and well-thought-out work of pop music, Coral marks a distinct shift in the band's aesthetic.
Gone is the upbeat projected-pop, rubber duck and Wes Anderson whimsy. Replacing it is an intense focus and swirling oceanic mood, which make Coral a languid and cohesive listen.
The focus, in part, can be attributed to the extended recording process the band undertook with producer Djeisan Suskov (Cool Rainbows) over an 18-month period.
Demo-ing, redemo-ing, and then demo-ing to tape before heading to Revolver Studios to record live without the use of computers, Suskov went to great lengths to perfect the performances.
Often yelling at the band to "flow like water" (an apt description of Coral's eventual feel), the producer at one stage set up an email address to which each member had to submit a part of a new song every day. At other times he experimented with standing in the room and conducting the band while they completed takes. The dedication has paid off, Coral's rich textured production letting the taut instrumentation surround the listener in a swirl of melody with no single note wasted.
Don't let the adult adjectives fool you, of course.
If Coral is to be seen as the band's "grown up" album, deep below the dark water's surface the child-like qualities of their previous work can still be found.
Now wrapped in the haze of longing, Coral charts the shift of young nostalgia to melancholy. Harking back to simpler times, leaving your teens, and coming to terms with responsibility. It's a journey one imagines the songwriter has experienced all too recently.
Coral is smart, meditative pop music perfect for late nights, rainy days, or heard live in the quiet intimate surrounds of Taste Merchants.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Auckland quartet had another Silver Scroll nod coming their way.
See it, hear it
Artisan Guns, Coral Album Release Tour, Dunedin, Thursday, August 30, Taste Merchants (Lower Stuart St), with Males and Fat Children.
Tickets available from undertheradar.co.nz
Eastern tickets
The Lyttelton Rough House Revival tours through the South this week, featuring The Eastern, and we have two double passes to each of their Dunedin shows to give away.
To go in the draw send your name, address and contact phone number to playtime@odt.co.nz, with Eastern in the subject line. They play Plato on August 31; and Chick's Hotel on September 1.
