In the Pacific Northwest, Naomi Punk started playing in various underground projects as teenagers about 10 years ago, self-releasing online EPs and CD-Rs to the locals, unconcerned with ever being part of the greater "music world." The young trio's off-the-grid indie rock makes them a fitting addition to the roster of Brooklyn's Captured Tracks, who re-release their debut full-length,
The Feeling, on November 13.
Previously a limited release on Washington's Couple Skate Records, The Feeling is unusual and mesmerizing — songs like "The Spell" and "Burned Body" somehow use a medium as noisy as muffled, grungy punk to channel a sensory experience that's meditative and oddly calming. "We're just a punk band," singer/guitarist Travis Coster says slowly, when he calls me after getting out from his job as a dishwasher at a coffeeshop.
Despite the minimalistic ethos that drives their band, this most recent disc was created with a more deliberate artistic intention. "We recorded this record, not separate from how we sound, but trying to create something that was reflective of our experiences in the Northwest, rather than a live document," Coster says. Live, the band is loud, faster, more aggressive.
Naomi Punk's identity as a band also surfaces in their connection with a visual culture — their flyers, zine, and self-described "primitive" Internet presence. "We've never been concerned with being cool indie-rock people," says Coster. "All of that is total bullshit. We just want people to be connecting with [our music]. If in their life, it can connect the dots to something, that's cool."
Listen live at wfnx.net
Liz Pelly can be reached at @lizpelly.
