Words: Elvis Thirlwell / @ging3rjazz
Following an in-town convention, a randy horde of thrill-seekers with a fetish for wearing animal costumes flock to a hotel after-party, where things turn rapidly south. This community of ‘Furries’ – the term denoting those who dress as animals, meeting online or in person as their ‘fursonas’ (not always for sexual titillations, one might add) – inspires the latest harebrained venture from East London’s deep tan.
Tonguing that debauched intersection of reckless inebriation, kinked-up passion, and drug-fuelled spirituality, ‘tamu’s yiffing refuge‘ – the 38th release on the prestigious Speedy Wunderground label – whittles away the gothic inflections from the band’s recent ‘creeping speedwells‘ EP into a more hypnotic, chicken-wired freneticism à la Fire Engines and the Slits – a move no doubt encouraged by producer Dan Carey’s notoriously immersive, live-to-tape, recording methods. Intoxicatingly addictive, and devilishly lecherous, ‘tamu’s…’ trebled-up jive creepy-crawls cross cerebella, wheeling in circles like never-ending rounds of tequila shots. In uncanny deep tan fashion, their teeth-clenching post-punk gristle sprouts a moreish melodic prowess that is idealistically ‘pop’ at its heart.
Off the back of the single’s digital release (a physical 7” is due January 14th 2022), What the Funk? fired some questions over to the group about the track and its inception, to which the group responded with appropriately wry and elliptic mystique.
deep tan are Wafah (vox/guitar), Celeste (bass) and Lucy (drums).
How’s it all going? What’s happening in the world of deep tan?
Furry lust! Courgette strap-ons (vegan). Wins and losses at the dog track. A Speedy Wunderground 7” single release on 14th January. The attempted storming of Cardiff Castle after a mushroom broth post-Sŵn Fest etc etc.
Tell us about the subject of your new single ‘tamu’s yiffing refuge’. What piques your interest in the Furry community, and why write a song about it?
‘tamu’s yiffing refuge’ is a real place we’d one day like to make a pilgrimage to; a furry santiago de compostela, if you will. Google Maps will tell you all you need to know. Why Furries? Because we need fresh meat for our yiffing parties and reckon a song about furry lust will get our closeted furry friends to finally accept our invitations they’ve been ignoring.
How did the Speedy Wunderground collaboration come about? How has it been for you becoming part of such an iconic cult label?
Turns out Dan Carey is a furry! Who knew? Just kidding … on a serious note though, we sent them the song and they were into it. We love so many of the other Speedy artists and are delighted to be part of the family.
Stories about Dan Carey’s immersive Speedy sessions are notorious. What was your experience like recording the single with him?
An 11am start, caffeinated to the hilt. ‘tamu’ coming out 10 BPM faster than initially planned. A drum fortress built around our Luce. Three live takes recorded to tape. A slinky hanging from the ceiling as spring reverb. A chorus of maniacal ‘hey steves’. Subway for lunch and pints for dinner.
‘tamu’s…’ feels like one of wilder and most frenetic tracks you’ve released thus far in your career. Would you agree with this, and should we expect more of this energy in the future?
On both counts: yes.
And finally….what’s next on the agenda for you guys?
Something about a horse… tail? but also weed killer. Some things about self-defense, smart phones, gender expansion via subliminal messaging and the revisiting of a moment in Borat 2. Could we be alluding to new music in the pipeline? Very possibly! Plus more live shows, definitely count on those.
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