MUNCH MUNCH are a kaleidoscopic pop group from Bristol who write ecstatic, elliptical songs that burst with creativity and restless energy. The band are four friends: Tom, Richard, Jack and Sarah Louise. Their songs swim deep only to breach the waves in spectacular style. Concerned with shivering eternity, rusting history and touching upon the many vistas and dead-ends of love, Munch Munch are constantly trying to catch up with the uncertain moments which most validate our lives.

The band have toured the UK and Europe, playing with the likes of Dirty Projectors, Why?, No Age, Ponytail, Clues and Hot Chip. Along the way they have recorded a BBC Radio 1 Maida Vale session for Huw Stevens, and played festivals including Lovebox, Truck, Tanned Tin in Spain, and Imago in Portugal.

'munchmunch'

Cyclorama

UTR042 | CD / LP | 10 tracks, 39 minutes | November 2010 | Buy

'Double Visions' is their debut album with co-production from up and coming London based producer James Rutledge. Previously known for their explosive and unpredictable live shows, the album showcases the band's focus and intensity without losing any of their visceral power.

After a handful of early releases, 'Double Visions' sees the band concentrate on writing an album proper, crafted under self-imposed constraints, reigning in maximalist tendencies, this album is a kinetic and striking listen. With a blanket ban on guitars, and using only live percussion, the songs were initially sketched out on piano, then fully realised using Farfisa and Hammond organs, vibraphone, marimba and an analogue synth. Recording took place in various studios, cellars, practice spaces and houses over the course of six months but sounds spontaneous and fresh from the fight.

'Double Visions' is a set of tangling super melodic pop songs supported by intense polyrhythmic explosions. Munch Munch are not afraid to go for the pop jugular, taking in influences as varied as Sparks, Bacharach, ABBA, Robert Wyatt and 80s R & B - a concerted effort has been made to engage with the structures of traditional song craft, while always being ready to tear up the rule book at any opportunity.

Writing sessions under the influence of sleep deprivation led the lyrics to take on a playful, dream-like quality. "Let your temperature escalate until you boil over, you might loosen up, it's a shapely dance we're executing. We can open up in our own special way" suggests 'Autumn Mask'

This, contrasted with the wide awake feel of the music conspires to create a lucid, unreal feeling. Frenetic album closer 'River Gleams' demonstrates this well; "Your veins surround me and clutch like arms under my skin, Branches and veins they climb around my walls creeping slowly."

The band paint a rich tapestry of haunting and nostalgic imagery - looking into the past or future, with a tumbling momentum that always helps them to escape the present.