?erven meaning the Czech month of June are a math rock duo hailing from Prague consisting of Pavel on drums and Stepan guitar. Following on from their two track self-titled release comes EP, a mechanical, shapeshifting contortion of sounds and foot stomping rhythms.
Similar to the majestic intricate astronomical clock situated in the heart of Prague, ?erven’s music, although appearing on the surface tempestuous and chaotic, more closely resembles the clock’s meticulous interwoven cogs and dials.
The three track EP comes in at a mere eleven minutes in length and although a small taster on the pallet it does enough to quench your thirst. However not for long, as I found myself coming back for repeated listens throughout the day while being treated to a meticulously well crafted surge of nuances.
From the album’s opener ‘Hit No.3’ we get an exceptionally catchy melody with some off-kilter moments that gradually get thrown around as the drums and guitar work together like manic dancing feet of conjoined Rudolf Nureyev clones before building up momentum and being shot full throttle into the scorching sun, where the blazing heat only adds to the rhythmic solar flaring dancing in the heart of the burning star.
Accompanying ?erven’s opening track is a music video taken from the 1972 ballet The Red Detachment Of Women, which can be viewed on the band’s Facebook page and YouTube, and I strongly urge you to do so through kaleidoscope injected binoculars. Maybe even now, take a break from the reading and pleasure with your mind’s eye the idiosyncrasies of the Women’s Detachment performing rifle drills by the National Ballet of China.
Well I’m sure you’ll all agree that was 3:26 minutes of falling through the rabbit hole of kaleidoscopic hypnotising brilliance, and coming out the other end washing the mise-en-scène of a Communist Umbrellas Of Cherbourg out of your eyes with turpentine. The music video is a mesmerising accompaniment to not only ‘Hit No.3’ but also EP as a whole and projects perfectly as your ears traverse through the summer sounding scientific suspiria de profundis.
Continuing on, ‘TLDR’ picks up where ‘Hit No.3’ finished by picking up the sun and carrying it through the heart of the record with infectious upbeat head grooving, before calming down midway allowing us to soak up the emitting rays and singeing our eardrums with sophisticated serendipity.
EP‘s final track ‘Invalid’ opens with what sounds like Stepan plucking the sun’s rays and ending with the sun exploding into the ocean and bathing it in molten gold. You never know where this track may take you from the start but this unknown adventure to the end of the world was worth every second.
?erven are the perfect answer to these warming months as EP dips you in the golden embrace of summer’s cloak, so just lay back in your heat-induced coma while you play the three tracks on repeat and drink your chosen fermented elixir of life. They are a welcome addition to an already established genre and if their two EPs are anything to go by then I’d be happy to disregard the Gregorian Calendar and make every month ?erven.
