[PREMIERE] CIGGIE WITCH.

There are a fair few bands down in Melbourne town that all fall under this broader idea of ‘dolewave’. And whilst there’s an ongoing discussion about exactly what dolewave involves, there is a real sense that it’s a serious musical force, despite it’s slightly-not-serious label. There also appears to be various clusters of acts that are part of this new musical force, all sharing members, ideas, influences, instruments, labels and, in some cases, houses.

Ciggie Witch are one of those acts, sharing members with those in The Ocean Party, Snowy Nasdaq, Pencil, Ian, Velcro, Aleks And The Ramps, Shark Alarm and I’m sure a fair few more(!). And yeah, sure, not all of those acts carry the ‘dolewave’ tag, but there are a few of them that easily could be classified as such. Ciggie Witch, for me, fall under that camp, but are perhaps more laid back, in instrumentation at least, than some of the other projects. And with the current ‘dolewave’ lexicon being occupied by rather straight-up anxiety-laden lyrics, the slack/cool/lazy vibe that these guys embody offers up a bit of a respite to the doom and gloom.

The new single ‘Long Weekend’ which we’re lucky enough to premiere to the world right now picks up the pace when compared to their earlier EP Echidna Cottage. And it’s the pace that makes it. When you consider the instrumentation, the lyrics and just the general vibe of the band, having a track that rollicks along forces you to sit upright in your chair. The pace is subtle, but it’s enough to add another layer.

The track is taken off the bands debut full length Rock And Roll Juice due out early May through Osborne Again.