00_ Take Charge with Debut Album 'Ca\yptra'
By Wil Clifford | September 17th, 2021
Inherent idiosyncrasy in modern music has become a rare artifact. Spurred on by the accessibility of the internet, finding distinct sounds and aesthetics that are comprehensively unique yet clearly defined is near impossible. Thankfully Naarm has you covered; 00_’s debut album ‘Ca\yptra’ is a captivating exploration of self-described “apocalypse pop”.
“[It’s about] window-cleaners, martians who bend arms, civil unrest,” said bassist Gene Beissel. “I’m not too sure really, but it feels like some kind of twisted call to action against different types of stagnation.”
Formed at the pointy end of last year, 00_ is the result of years of musical tinkering from guitarist Asher Bates in correlation with Beissel (The New Dregs, Local Minimum) and roommate, drummer Elvis Walsh (DJ Integrity).
“I really wanted to include a vocalist so that the three of us could be more focused on creating compelling instrumentals,” said Bates.
He was interested in fellow roommate Cllawd3’s sliding vocal style with their band Thistleswitch.
“Ash came to me with a few songs he had been working on and wanted to see what I could add to them vocally,” Cllawd3 said. “I guess it just moved from there.”
00_’s unorthodox sound is a direct product of unconventional and varying inspirations. Bands like The Drones and Dirty Three can be recognised in the detailed song structures and performances, particularly in Walsh’s jazz-infused drumming.
“A huge part of our thing is how Gene and I interpret Asher’s broken rhythm when he shows us some new guitar bits, it seems to yield funny results,” he said. “I can also get bored playing the same beat over and over, so I’m always trying to change what I’m doing at each moment.”
Another notable influence would be Pixies, identifiable through a versatile dynamic range and tempo switches.
“We got to see [Pixies] live at the start of 2020 and Cllawd3 blew smoke in some heckler’s face,” said Beissel. “Definitely a formative moment for the band.”
Cllawd3's vocals reflect an unconventional approach to lyricism, subscribing to the self-empowering ideology of Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser.
“I’ve never written down my lyrics and often improvise until something sticks and naturally reoccurs. I’ve tried to allow myself to stray away from the confines of ‘making sense’ and saying words all the time.”
Cllawd3 fronting 00_ at The Last Chance (Photography by Thomas Lidgerwood)
Emerging out of lockdown with a well-defined sound, the group began gigging extensively around Melbourne, playing notable gigs at The Tote, The Last Chance, and Max Watts. Despite this, their peculiar band name was a challenge for some listeners.
“We’ve run into this problem with radio stations being unsure of how to pronounce the band name, even song titles,” laughed Bates.
Phonetics is preferred by the band; each tape has a different pronunciation of 00_ scribbled on the A side.
“00_ is pronounced ‘Ow Ow Yoweee’,” joked Walsh. “It’s underground marketing.”
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In mid-August the group released their first single, ‘scarce silver Y’. The cruising six-minute track is a testament to their writing style, utilising repetition and misshapen chords to build to a quietly impactful and enthralling close.
“I actually started with the [moaning] sound that is present throughout the song, everything else adapted from that,” said Cllawd3. “Some of the lyrics are about a video I watched...about a Finnish folk tale where moths climb into rich people's ears and make them modest. The song title is in a sense derived from that.”
“We had a basic demo with a standard verse/chorus thing going on,” said Beissel. “[We] decided to chuck a bunch of shit at the wall and the rest of the song is what stuck.”
‘scarce silver Y’ was followed by ‘claUdia’, a track that exhibits 00_’s more raucous side. Beissel’s bass is a prominent feature on the track; his tone establishes a creepiness, reinforced by Bates’ guitar harmonics in the more harrowing sections.
A couple weeks later the band dropped their debut album ‘Ca\yptra’, featuring the two previous singles alongside six new tracks. It was recorded at Cellar Sessions with the formidable Max Ducker, a good friend of the group.
“Max has a great ear for wild and weird noises and has been a major proponent of our fucked-up-ness from ground zero so working with him was a real treat,” said Beissel. “Asher and I had recorded with him in the past and love his work so it was a bit of a no-brainer really.”
‘Ca\yptra’ is an eclectic joyride packed full of gripping musical ideas. Bates and Beissel’s strong chemistry blooms on opener ‘off set/its so noir’, leaping between complex sections with ease. Walsh’s drumming on ‘curb 88’’ and ‘scarce silver Y’ feels hypnotic, commanding every beat with calculated precision. Cllawd3 shines on ‘astro boy’, delivering a hauntingly volatile vocal performance atop of Bates’ twisted guitar melodies. The album concludes with ‘spectator sport’, an embodiment of 00_’s distinct attraction with an intricate whirlwind of tension and release.
An album launch was planned to take place at The John Curtin Hotel, however lockdowns have caused the gig, as well as additional shows, to be put on hold.
“It's definitely difficult, all the money we previously made from shows got funnelled into making the album,” said Bates. “Without that income it does put a big question mark on where the money to record and release the next record will come from.”
“The financial impact upon venues that these lockdowns are having is really fucking the scene in Melbourne, particuarly for more out-there bands like ourselves. Less money coming into the venues is gonna mean that they're gonna want to play it safer and book bands they know will bring a crowd - which means less taking a chance on new, upcoming and particularly experimental artists.”
'Ca\yptra' released on the 4th of September
Despite their lost gig opportunities, the band is more concerned with the Melbourne music scene as a whole.
“It’s bittersweet to see how much everyone’s missing the gig circuit,” Beissel said. “Ultimately it's the independent venues like Last Chance that are most impacted by all the cancellations, so it’s important to find ways to keep them going.”
A band like 00_ has a bright future, only the present is holding them back. A follow-up is a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, but right now Bates’ focus is on heavy gigging in support of ‘Ca\yptra’.
“We’re a live band first, and for me the album won’t be done until we’ve gigged it to death.”
Walsh is already thinking ahead.
“Next album is gonna be straight rock like Accadacca, then the album after that will be jazz, à la ‘Kind of Blue’ with trumpet and shit.”