This installment of our BREAKING SOUNDS series goes to up-and-coming Portland denizens, The Whines, who have just released their debut 7" so you'd better stop and listen, as there's only 300 to go around. They caught our ears last year when doing our regular band talent-trolling through the myspace mine fields, and their eerily captivating reverberations on their key track "Insane OK" were just enough to get my brain boiling and my interest thoroughly piqued. Months later, upstart label Just For the Hell of It Records (based on one of the greatest films of all time, seriously) has unleashed the debut 4-song 7" EP with their mind-numbing VU-inspired twang and throb that just can't be denied. As a shambolic three-piece with Messthetically-pleasing loose ends sticking out from all sides, The Whines have that careless candor in their songs that proves to be that magical touch that so many other bands lack in their recordings.
One of the many trappings most minimalist female-fronted modern bands get stuck with is the all-encompassing Kleenex/Liliput comparison, and despite being partially accurate on quite a few instances, it really can be chalked up to lazy journalism. The Whines effectively break free of this typical reference point, and have emerged with this debut 7" full of atypical song styles ranging from the distilled Velvet Underground ambiance on the title track, to the impeccably addictive innocent toe-curling guitar tones on "Indian Homewrecker," and pull it all together with a refreshing nonchalance that reiterates the serious potential this band has going. So if you're sick of the calloused indie-rock pap that's passing for exciting new music this year, stop and take a hard listen to The Whines and keep an eye out for this band to really turn some heads in the future.
Check out tracks from The Whines debut 7" right HERE and pick up a copy of the 7" EP HERE before they're gone. If you're in the Portland area, go see them live in tonight at The Know with Eat Skull and Dadfag, and be sure to catch them on tour with Eat Skull down the west coast in March, as well.
