EARTH TONGUE

Sometimes music is supposed to feel weird and indescribable. It’s the moments of clarity within the dense, sonic mess that often feels the most satisfying. That’s the space that Earth Tongue occupy. At times, their songs are shrill and disorientating, other times their reverb-washed textures and instantly-familiar hooks can wrap you in a warm, loving embrace. The one consistent thread through their music, however, is the thick and all-encompassing fuzz. Guitarist Gussie Larkin has become a master of the fuzz-smothered riff, and along with Ezra Simons’ off-kilter drumming, they’ve been sending punters into transcendental states since they began gigging in their home town of Wellington, New Zealand in 2016. With their debut release Portable Shrine EP they steadily grew in popularity and began to tour NZ and Australia regularly. They quickly became one of NZ’s most exciting underground live acts and it wasn’t long until they were playing alongside international touring bands like Red Fang, Beastwars and Monolord. In 2018 the two-piece embarked on a successful two-month tour of Europe and the UK, laying the foundations for the release of their debut LP in 2019.

Their debut full-length album ‘Floating Being’ was released in June 2019 via Bristol-based record label Stolen Body Records. The album was pieced together throughout their travels of Australia and Europe in 2018, with the finishing touches being added in their hometown, Wellington. The album contains songs they’ve been playing live for the past few years, and it captures the raw, primitive energy that exists within their live performance. Earth Tongue embrace the imperfections in their playing and recording, drawing influence from early 70s psychedelic and prog rock. The drums were recorded to an old 8-track Tascam reel-to-reel in a friend’s garage in Melbourne. The result is a punchy, raw and fuzzy journey into psych-rock with songs that weave between melodic and jarring, with unexpected turns leaving the listener in a disoriented, euphoric haze.

“New Zealand duo do right by fuzzy, scuzzy stoner pop, combining arch, staccato harmonies with molten-hot riffs.” - Bandcamp

“This could well end up being a lot of peoples favourite album of the year – people whose twin loves are heavy fuzz and fantasy sci-fi.” - Louder Than War

“A deep dive into psych-rock riff worship, tunnelling into skulls with labyrinthine lead lines and the duo's ensorcelling double-vocal attack.” - Under The Radar