Written by: Dave Cantrell
As surely you know by now, dear reader, we always and only have your best music interests at heart and here, even as this dog-days-of-summer weekend comes down on us like a drowsy shower of warm lemonade, all of us hoping to wring the most out of the dwindle of the season that takes the perky promise of spring and transforms it, for however short a time, into a benighted (but no less real) sense of eternity, it’s no different, as we offer up a marvel of a late-season preview of an upcoming split LP from two of “the scene”‘s most promising young bands, Portland’s Whisper Hiss and Glasgow, Scotland’s Dancer, which doesn’t ‘drop’ until October 4th but our pals at Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records were kind enough to let us and a few others (and now, you!!) in on a sneak early listen. That being the case – and seeing as your correspondent has the proverbial busy plate in front of him today – we’re going to let HHBTM founder and tireless svengali Mike Turner take it from here, a fine idea as there’s no one better situated to have the up-high lowdown on these two bands (even as said correspondent has booked the the Portland portion of the LP for multiple shows when he still haunted the halls lounges and nightclubs of Portland before retiring). So pour yourself a second cup of whatever, settle in for a moment, and have a read and a listen. Believe us, it’ll make for the perfect launch of a perfectly lazy summer weekend…
*******************************************************************************************************************************
There are times where people connect with no previous connection to each other by sheer happenstance. This is the story of two bands continents apart, unknown to each other, yet working within the same DIY music scenes and producing music that pairs perfectly together. In November of 2023, HHBTM Records received a three-song demo from Portland’s Whisper Hiss on the recommendation of Erika Elizabeth (Collate / Domestic Departure Records). That same day, I had been going through my core list of favorite music blogs, and it seemed everyone which I read and trust on the regular were all gushing about this new Glasgow band Dancer. I went to Bandcamp and checked them out and immediately purchased their debut cassette. Later that night, after many listens to the digital download, I reached out to see if Dancer would be interested in working with HHBTM for a release. Dancer got back the next day and let me know they only had a small handful of songs not released at the time. Then the idea struck to see if both bands might be interested in doing a split 12” with each band submitting six songs. I sent Whisper Hiss and Dancer links to each other’s music and both bands became instant fans and friends as we discussed this split release. In my mind, I was basically recreating the Bikini Kill / Huggy Bear split 12” that had opened up a whole new world to me back in the early 90’s and hoping this record could be that for a younger generation. Both bands went into the studio and finished new tracks by the end of January and we all discussed packaging and artwork. HHBTM does a special handmade packaging release once a year, and this record was the perfect release for that extra special treatment. The record comes in a three-color screen-printed matchbook fold-over sleeve and the middle labels on the records are hand stamped, and includes an insert and digital download. Each record is packaged and printed at home personally by HHBTM. On October 4th, the album simply titled ‘Split’ will be released on vinyl and digital by HHBTM Records.
Whisper Hiss are a four-piece queer post-punk band from Portland, Oregon, and have been the go-to local opener on most indiepop and post-punk house and DIY shows for bands touring through Portland since 2017. They’ve never ventured out of the Pacific Northwest and have been a hidden little secret slowly perfecting their music for years. They are a mix of the manic energy of Slant 6, the pop sensibility of Blondie, and the cold emotional perfection of Pylon; beat-driven, dystopian 80’s day-glo party dress pop.
Dancer are a four piece mutant disco post-punk band from Glasgow, Scotland, that only formed in 2023. Dancer kinda just exploded onto the scene with their two cassette releases in 2023, and then their follow-up album ‘10 Songs I Hate About You’ in early 2024. The music press praised both releases and there was a bit of Dry Cleaning or Wet Leg hype build up happening, but the band are so down to earth and friendly that you could sense it was truly organic. Dancer are a bit weirdo observational world pop of Talking Heads, a twee Delta 5, and a touch of the guitar and bass interplay of Pylon; reductionist minimalist guide to life set to a mutant dance beat. [Mike Turner]
