Photo by Emily Herbert
Melbourne/Naarm-based Post Punk outfit Bitumen unveils “Minutes of Pure Joy,” the first Nü song since 2021‘s full-length, “Cleareye Shining,” and the first excerpt from their upcoming third album, “Reality Red” via It Records.
Having come up with the tune before touring the country in 2023, the four-piece then proceeded to hone it over the following 14 or so shows. The physicality of the song that grew from playing live has been bottled into a clip filmed by Bitumen‘s dear friend David Freudenstein, which WL//WH is very pleased to premiere.
Lyrics, or lack thereof, are inspired after the fact by Karl Hyde saying he would just repeat ‘lager, lager, lager’ when he forgot the words to “Born Slippy” and by a poetry machine built by Nina Rajcic that singer Kate Binning would pass by on the way to work in the mornings.
Dubbed as “a sharp, swirling wave of alt-rock bliss,” the band cranks out a moody, harrowing, grungy slice of obsessive caterwauling, bleeding guitar stabs, churned by tumbling rhythmic grooves, and jagged, abrasive riffs, to writhe and achingly high ring around swirling, slightly distorted female vocals, that seem to untwist, agitatedly, into smooth, airy streams whilst fighting through choppy bouts of shrill-infested anger, unto a powerful, excruciating finale of sweeping catharsis.
In the paired visuals, directed by the band themselves and David Freudenstein, Bitumen, wearing minimal black attire, perform “Minutes of Pure Joy” against a striking white backdrop. Cinematographers TJ Curphey-Burton and David Freudenstein thoughtfully match the instruments and equipment to the monochrome set. An edgy punk-fueled energy, replete with body thrusts and serious expressions, smoulders throughout, except for the brief interlude when things soften and become airily fluid, capturing the line ‘the only way things will change is if you really want it’, before erupting into a full-throttle charge of forward momentum.
Bitumen‘s new single, “Minutes of Pure Joy,” will be released digitally on all streaming platforms on Friday 21st August.
The band’s upcoming third album, “Reality Red,” is due later this year through fellow independent label It Records on digital & ltd. edition vinyl format.
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Photo by Emily Herbert
