Maze: S/T 12″

Description

Japan’s MAZE debut 12″ gives a dewey feeling. It’s Rainy post punk nice for a walk or a drive on a bleak sunned day. It’s real hands in pocket music, like that mellow Big in Japan material. But also sounds like Altered Images. An upper and a downer at the same time. aMAZEing.

Our take: Debut 12 from this Japanese band. While most Lumpy releases have me breaking out adjectives like raging, raw, and weird, Maze pushes me to reach for words like haunting, evocative, and twee. Is Lumpy growing up? Well, not really Maze is still primitive and punk-y, but in an early Rough Trade Records kind of way. While the whole record is upbeat and snappy, theres a woozy, dreamy quality that seems veryEnglish (even though the band is Japanese). Whether its the early Mekons-esque pop tune Eight Channels, the punkier You Cant Win, or the early Joy Division / Warsaw-esque closer The Cobwebs, Maze always sounds like theyre not in a hurry to get anywhere. Its a vibe I dont hear much from contemporary punk-influenced music, but its just as just as interesting and addictive as the bands I mentioned above.