The Beat Up – Black Rays Defence

Halfway through listening to The Beat Up’s debut long-player I was momentarily distracted by a curious flight of fancy. I began imagining all the animals of London Zoo breaking out of their cages and making their way down Oxford Street to get to HMV. On arriving, I wondered, what kind of music (given the wherewithal to choose) would they go for? Would the Lions opt for Cock Rock? Would the Three-toed Sloth fancy ambient minimalism? And what about the Crickets? Maybe some glitchy breakbeats. The possibilities are endless. The question is, what kind of animal would go for Black Rays Defence?

For assistance, I turned to their press release, which tells me that The Beat Up “ooze a primeval spirit.” Perhaps they should see a doctor about that. However, it is helpful in classifying them – in animal listening terms – as a pre-historic amoeba or germ. The music they play is really that crude. Indeed, silence has never sounded as good as did after their racket.

Come back when you’ve emerged from the swamp, lads.