Demos

Nakeru - Demo

Bill Cummings 00/00/0000

Rating: 3/5

South London four piece Nakeru recall a simpler time, they produce unfussy, tuneful, hooky summery indie pop with a sound not unlike Weezer. It's the perfect soundtrack to a long hot summer of picnic's in lush green fields, festivals, and kickabouts (jumpers for goal posts eh?).
Emerging from working with Nicky Terry (The Libertines, The Tears) they have produced a demo of a good standard. Opener “Lights! Camera! Action!” is the perfect gateway into the world of Nakeru, tying together the quirky vocal melodies of a band like Pavement, and the nagging guitars of early Supergrass. The lyrics make use of a clever metaphorical ploy, placing the singer at the center of the action in a film set, the lyrics are in turn whimsical and introspective (“I don't perform I become who I am playing/I'm not playing now”).

Second track “Malena On Ice” is perhaps even more impressive. A twisting funky, guitar line, is teased by a sunset melody, which lifts the song beyond overly sentimental and into the arena of heart tugging, whilst the chorus is blindingly catchy. Fuzzy guitars fall around the melody rich refrains, and ending on a neat little guitar lick, this song again brings to mind early nineties guitar pop of days of yore.
Last track “Hip Hip Hooray!” is a bittersweet little gem, built around the refrain “Alright Hip Hip/I really wanna be with you now Hooray/I really wanna see you” it veers off into some angular guitar shapes, but when it all breaks down in the middle eight it reveals a gorgeous vocal melody. This is a quality tune: the vocals and guitar interplay are really well executed.

Nakeru haven't produced a world-beating demo (leave that to those who try "too" hard). What they have come up with is something more beguiling and impressive than that; a quality set of recordings that showcases what they do awfully well: summery guitar and melody driven indie pop. Who's for a kick about?

http://www.nakeru.com/