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The Wave Pictures

26.10.09

BIOGRAPHY

The Wave Pictures are a deeply personal band, with their lyrics full of intimate detail, the semi-lo-fi quality of their recordings covering the music in a layer of cosy crackle, complimenting their small town romanticism perfectly.

Influenced by the tongue-in-cheek confessionalism of The Smiths backed by Chuck Berry-esque guitars and the scrappy D.I.Y. aesthetic of the C-86 school, The Wave Pictures originally formed in 1998 in their hometown, the tiny rural village of Wymeswold in northern Leicestershire. Heavily influenced by both their parents' classic rock record collections and John Peel's indie-centric radio show, the teenage trio were a part time labour of love, recording 6 albums while still at university which they sold while touring the D.I.Y. circuit.

Finding fans, friends and collaborators in likeminded artists such as Herman Düne, the Mountain Goats, Jeffrey Lewis, and Darren Hayman (ex-Hefner), the band moved to London in 2006 and signed to indie label Moshi Moshi which released the trio's first proper album, Sophie, the same year. The Wave Pictures' second album, Instant Coffee Baby, followed in 2008, and drew them a slew of unsurprisingly favourable reviews.

Their appeal is not hard to understand. They play charming, witty pop songs shot through with Jonathan Richman's gawky glee and Suede's doomed provincial romanticism. If Jarvis Cocker were to sing with the Modern Lovers, he might produce a song like ‘Leave the Scene Behind’, a piquant account of being brusquely rejected by a beautiful social climber.

Their latest release, If You Leave It Alone, came about by accident - rather fitting for a band who don’t see the need to practice. When in a studio in France playing on a friend’s record they sued the down time to record acoustic demos for songs they were considering for their next album. Finding them strewn about his studio, said friend of theirs became quite enamoured with these discarded demos. He put some quite wonderful brass parts on them, and lent them some backing vocalists. Mixed it. Mastered it. Then gave it back to the Wave Pictures upon completion. There it was, their new album - and they didn't even know they'd made one!

Calmer than its predecessor and promisingly full of the endearing quirks and blemishes we have come to expect from a Wave Pictures release it effortlessly delivers on raucous, celebratory sing-alongs, moment-capturing, novelistic ditties and beguiling, engagingly erudite songs.

Their next record will be a Bruce Springsteen covers collection due for release later this year. And certain members of our team are unhealthily excited about what that might sound like.