Clean Up w/New Clean LP

First proper rec since 2001 from legendary Flying Nun mainstays.

By Blurt Staff

On September 8, The Clean will release Mister Pop (Merge), their first new studio album since 2001's Getaway. What can be said about the Clean? In 1978, they were the seeds of New Zealand punk. They carved out a big sandbox for everyone to play in, and their influence resonated not only in New Zealand but around the world.

The New York Times described The Clean:  "This New Zealand band, which has been going off and on since 1978, plays a jangly, damaged kind of guitar pop and was a primary influence on Pavement and Yo La Tengo, and therefore virtually all of current indie rock." In 2003, Merge Records released Anthology, the 2-disc compilation of tracks and song cycles from across The Clean's musical career. 

This summer's Mister Pop sees The Clean continue the great pop pastiche. Circus ragas ("Moonjumper"), gorgeously hazy sunset anthems ("In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul"), and the sometimes-loose Dada approach to wordsmithery continue right alongside "proper" lyrical forays, and a few Autobahn-referential instrumental moments to boot ("Tensile"). Robert Scott's love of pastoral UK folk has brought some added weight into the overall Clean equation, as does David Kilgour's Eastern and African guitar jones, though all this has always fit in with-and still constitutes-the total basis of The Clean sound journey.

Check out a free MP3 on us:

"In the Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul"