Jagwar Ma came together in Sydney, Australia when Jono Ma and Gabriel Winterfield bonded over a mutual passion of melody and experimental beats. The pair set out to create a sound that would capture their love for contemporary electronica and classic American pop harmony, Joe Meek and King Tubby, vintage drum machines and radio frequency manipulation, improvised percussion and other esoteric methods of creating sound. Jagwar Ma have created one of the year’s most memorable and critically acclaimed debut albums with “Howlin.'” It’s songs are full of classic hooks but often end in dirty clanking breakdowns. Pop songwriting is buried in layers of crunching synths and pedal effects. “How can you look gloomy? When you look so good to me,” wonders Gab in ‘Uncertainty,’ repeating “be my light” over Jono’s techno-inspired beat. As expected, the album was met with unanimous praise from fans and critics alike and with a 5-star review from The Times (amongst others) and a 9/10 in the NME, “Howlin” stands up with some of the best debuts of 2013.
A head-spinning summer has seen the Sydney-based duo of Gabriel Winterfield and Jono Ma win fans from all quarters with shows across the UK, Australia and Japan. The addition of singles ‘The Throw’ and ‘Man I Need’ to the BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music playlists, triumphant shows at Glastonbury and local performances at Australia’s Splendour In The Grass Festival are also triumphant moments for the band. The next single released, ‘Come Save Me,’ effortlessly fuses era-spanning radiance, the vocal sweetness of Laurel Canyon and Carl Wilson, the electronic space that has spanned the past 40 years and lyrics that celebrate love and loss.
October 31, 2013
23:00 Reykjavík Art Museum
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