PEEPHOLES are Katia Barrett (drums, vocals) and Nick Carlisle (keyboards). The Brighton / London duo formed in 2006 after bonding over a Chinese violin and the quietest of music. Pretty soon they turned the volume up and hit on their winning strategy of soaring, stammering synth lines, tribalised drumming and low-slung vocals. Walking a tightrope between underground punk and dance music, Peepholes write cloaked anthems as likely to open celestial gates with keys of repetition as to soundtrack a slow motion fairground accident. Their sound is otherworldly, aching with wild beats, echoing with cavernous atmospheres.

'CALIGULA'

Tunnels

UTR048 | 12" | 6 tracks, 31 mins | Buy

'Caligula' takes as its namesake the Roman Emperor most notorious for excessive cruelty and sexual deviance; becoming a byword for insane extravagance. Recorded over two days in sub-zero temperatures last winter at the Lambeth Women's Project in Brixton, we can only wonder at how this particular muse made himself apparent. 'Caligula' was recorded by Sherry Ostapovitch, known previously for her work with Throbbing Gristle, Trash Kit and Maria and the Mirrors. She continued to work with the band over several months, whilst Kat and Nick worked on takes, overdubs and vocals. So recorded quickly yet produced slowly, the record took shape by alchemical process.

The title track that opens the record, fades in with swelling chimes and jangling bells, before churning bass frequencies gurgle forth laying the road for the primitive drum slaps and stammering synth melody. Not many bands would start off a record with a near eight minute epic but Peepholes embrace evolution in their sound and like to let things develop. They build from sparse beginnings to sprawling, deafening tones, scrambling noise and vocal theatrics before pulling the table cloth from underneath everything and starting over.

'Step One' is a good example of Peepholes in energetic pop-throb mode, with Kat's vocal masked in modulation amongst the swarming keyboard patterns. Kat's insistent bursts of hi-hat draw the song through unexpected terrain. Similarly 'I Go Basic' is upbeat in its pursuit of the song, rolling with the drums, allowing the tumbling synth to find a rare triumphant zone, the whole track unfurling like an awakening.

'Tunnels' is majestic in its pace, adopting the slow tempo of another realm, whilst backwards cymbals and drum machine pops and claps mark out the beat. "We're always looking for a way out" sings Kat full of paranoia, over a beast of synth melody that stalks its prey with skill. 'Tunnels' breaks through into ascendant bliss at several points with its bubbling arpeggiator, lending a heaven-like euphoria to the dial tones and pulsing drones.

'Caligula' ends as it begins with another 7 minute damaged epic, this time titled 'Picture The World In Signs'. Decidedly more motorik than the other tracks, 'Picture The World In Signs' finds relish in its unrelenting groove, allowing Kat to pitch plunge her vocal amongst the folds of psychedelic keyboard warmth. Like a resurgent memory, halfway through, the song recalls another direction, drowning in static waves, crushed drums and weird electronic parallels. The track reaches another plain, a new level higher than before, an evolving consciousness which is so true of Peepholes in general and this new record especially.

Peepholes' ability to capture the drama and depth of emotion is profound, their songs swim with 'fight vs flight' pulse-quickening urgency and their instinct to forego everyday song structures continues to lead them to ever steeper ladders.

'SPLIT' W / a.P.A.t.T.

Sleep In The Shower

UTR014 | 12" | 14 tracks, 40 mins | Buy

Peepholes share this 12" circle of vinyl with a.P.A.t.T., courtesy of Upset The Rhythm's 'Split' series. The Peepholes side of the release entitled 'Kingdom' features six new tracks, leading on from their recent EP 'Lair' on Hungry For Power.

'Airforce Trainer' is all swirling keyboard clusters, reverberating vocals and tribal drum batterings. Kat's catchy vocal lines are echoed by Nick on the pulsating 'Alpine Song', which has a wonderful wobbly descending synth melody giving way to a lonesome coda full of icy feelings of displacement.

Perhaps the most triumphant moment of the album sees Peepholes wield a mighty seven-minute track called 'Carnivore' that, in it's breadth, welcomes bubbling synth noise and exploding cymbals to fry the song within an inch of its life. The other two stand out tracks 'Sleep In The Shower' and 'Pulling Cars' both tap into a similar punk energy, sounding sincere and anthemic, drawing electronics to the fore alongside Kat's perfect hollers.