Label: Auris Apothecary

Produced by: Bruce

I essentially discovered label Auris Apothecary through the label Secretly Canadian, thanks to following label-outliers Racebannon from the latter imprint to the former – a link which is only really important as a reference: that Scalliwags’ Spring of 1938, appearing on AA, sounds like something that would’ve appeared on SC.

More specifically: the ramshackle acoustic approach, and earnestness of the delivery, remind me of that one Simon Joyner EP, while the glittery melodies and addition of a trumpet on the second and third track definitely recall Impossible Shapes or their offshoots, like Horns of Happiness.

And guess what? I’m a sucker for that kinda stuff – rough-edged, pretty-adjacent, folk-dabbled stuff, that veers way more toward weird indie than, er, emo, which is some kind of line between being overblown and overdramatic, maybe. Furthermore, to clarify, the sound-swapping vibe is not a knock – I mean, see, Racebannon’s appearance on SC as a prime example of that – and Auris Apothecary have certainly stuck to their design-focused guns here, giving us a stitched sleeve for their cassette release, and a font / logo choice, that very much speaks to the music’s sound. While I shouldn’t judge on the supercial, solely, it… helps. It helps when something looks cool, and gets you in the right mindset for its genre, and then when you actually like the content, that’s all pretty satisfyingly synergistc.

But – another AA move is to do these tiny, one-off releases from groups that formed overnight and then split, and often that leaves us with music that’s very promising, but also ephemeral. Capturing those one-offs is a much appreciated document; that can equal an immediacy that lands, or – such as on Spring of 1938 – it functions like a demo of Things That Might Be. So the lyrics and material here don’t quite directly impact, and register more as a nod along opening band for a more notable act. Add to that that each song, while identifiable – the opener is more minimal, the mid-track is a lil’ wonky – all hit upon similar melodies and aural ranges, and the lasting effect of the release is further shortened.

Still, I would by no means sacrifice having gotten to hear this for those reasons, and I like thinking that if I was out in the wilds of Indiana, bopping between shows, I might stumble across Scalliwags, or their members, still plying their trade and producing pleasant, jangly tunes, and get a little buzz from enjoying them out in the wild and knowing I can return home to listen to a piece of their work.