The Key Studio Sessions: Needle Points

I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in. The shaggy hair, the flowing technicolor robes, the dreamcatchers and medallions. Just go with it. Philly psychedelic five-piece Needle Points might come across as bizarre folks of questionable seriousness – the sort who create a paisley alter with candles and empty beercans in the center of the studio – but when it comes to their music, they rock hard and don’t mess around. The dueling percussion of Jooty Kaplan and Dani Kinoshita drives the band forth at a fierce pace; guitarist Davey Chains and bassist Brian Langan shuffle and harmonize; singer Colly Holloway fronts the band with a wild Jim Morrison bravado.

Last fall, Needle Points’ debut Bom Tugangu was released on Bandcamp, and it captured the band’s brink-of-chaos live energy amid a sea of lo-fi fuzz. You’ll hear a similar sound in this week’s Key Studio Session, where we hear two standouts from Tugangu – below, watch a video of “Need Love (City Walls),” filmed by Dave Kain of Bands in the Backyard – as well as a pair of unreleased new songs. “Cripple Street” is a bouncy garage-pop jammer in a tidy 2:23, while “Black Hurricane” sells the drama hard and loud (the opening guitar tones on that one knock me out). Stream and download the set below, and mark your calendar for the next chance to get weird with Needle Points in concert: a headlining gig at Kung Fu Necktie on October 17th. Get more information at the XPN Concert Calendar.

KEY STUDIO SESSIONS: NEEDLE POINTS: “CITY WALLS” from BITBY on Vimeo.