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Cassels have proven time and time again that they have mastered the quiet-loud dynamic better than nearly anyone else at the moment. Look no further than their first two singles off of new album The Perfect Ending, out on September 6 via Big Scary Monsters—“The Leaking Ark” and “The Perfect Ending” a song that has, well, a perfect ending. The London-based brother duo of Jim and Loz Beck combine playful and complex math rock fingerpicks with brutal crashing walls of guitar to create musical surprises on a huge scale, songs that can lull you into a daydream only to snap you out of it with an unexpected crescendo seemingly out of nowhere.
Elements of that impressive dynamic shift are present on new single “The Queue At The Chemist” as well, further showcasing Cassels’ ability to swing between thought-provoking and delicate indie rock and heavy fist-in-the-air punk riffs. “The Queue At The Chemist” is the band’s most upbeat offering yet from their upcoming sophomore album, a song that sees Jim Beck speak-sing like the second coming of Art Brut with brutal honesty: The song opens with “How can I be expected to care about an abstract and nebulous problem like a dying planet?” before launching into a list of minute problems like waiting in a 20-minute line at the pharmacy, less-than-ideal lunches and co-workers failing to respond to emails. Here’s what Jim Beck has to say about the track:
“While the last two singles were broadly about animals and plants, this one is about humans. Specifically, about how many of us are now fully aware of the irreparable damage we’re doing to the planet, but are still not taking any meaningful action to prevent it. In reality, climate change is too huge an issue to carry around in our heads every day, and so inevitably pales into insignificance when faced with the microscopic inconveniences and trivialities of modern life. Even those of us who consider ourselves environmentally conscientious aren’t going to stop buying oranges and mangos which have been flown half way around the world, or burning fossil fuels so we can travel around on tour singing songs about how many of us are now fully aware of the irreparable damage we’re doing to the planet, but are still not taking any meaningful action to prevent it.”
Like a more palatable Shame and a much more listenable Black Midi, Cassels are the latest British post-punk band to impress, carving out their own unique niche in a growing and exponentially popular scene. The Perfect Ending, an album as ambitious as all hell, is truly something special and “The Queue At The Chemists” further proves that you should drop everything and listen immediately.
Listen to “The Queue At The Chemists” below, premiering exclusively at Paste. The Perfect Ending drops on September 6th via Big Scary Monsters. Pre-order it here. Scroll down to check out Cassels’ U.K. tour dates.
Cassels Tour Dates:
July
26 – Steventon, U.K. @ TRUCK Festival
September
28 – Bristol, U.K. @ Exchange ^
29 – Brighton, U.K. @ The Hope & Ruin ^
30 – London, U.K. @ The Lexington ^
October
01 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Hare & Hounds ^
02 – Cardiff, U.K. @ Clwb Ifor Bach ^
03 – Oxford, U.K. @ The Bullingdon ^
04 – Nottingham, U.K. @ Chameleon Arts Cafe ^
05 – Kingston upon Hull, U.K. @ Gorilla Studios ^
(^ with The St Pierre Snake Invasion)