Adelaide three-piece Sparkspitter are doing their own thing, blending hypnotic, ambient sounds with rock and pop sensibilities.
Their preferred genre is art pop crossed with krautrock. “Krautrock is a movement of music which originated in Germany and it centres around simple, repetitive premises which slowly shifts through melodic modes,” bassist Matt Barlow says.
“It can be ambient, but it doesn't have to be: what makes something kraut is the pulse, or the rhythm or repetition.”
Their upcoming EP, 'DOXA', showcases a particular period of Sparkspitter's songwriting, rather than any serious boundary pushing. “When we recorded [our previous release] 'Techne', we recorded about twelve songs but only put seven on the LP due to time restraints.
“We thought 'Techne' kinda worked conceptually and sonically and what was left was a little bit darker and contemplative.”
Past the release, they are looking to release a 'DOXA' remix EP, completely done by Adelaide artists, which is scheduled for a release early next year.
Sparkspitter's sound began with a more progressive post-rock influence and has progressed to become more minimal and stripped back over time. “Nowadays, we're trying to be as concise as possible in our writing and a lot of the new songs are single concepts.
“We're a lot more minimal in the melody, but still trying to remain quite strong and energetic as possible.”
On this album tour they'll team up with MILKK, who they've wanted to tour with for a while, but due to conflicting schedules it remained a dream until now. “We're really looking forward to playing Sydney and Brisbane, as we have a strong fan base in both of those cities which we can't get to all of the time. We are also excited for our first Tasmanian gig ever.”
Written by Conor Hughes
Sparkspitter play The Bearded Lady 12 December. 'DOXA' is available from 22 November.
