Love Chants - Marigold b/w Wild and Blue (7")

Love Chants
Marigold b/w Wild and Blue
Freuyd & Verdrusz
Australia/Germany, 2026
7"

It's a Halley's Comet year for underground watchers, with two new releases by the elusive Love Chants. The first was a 12" co-released by Grapefruit Records and C/Site in the U.S. This concise statement on Nein Rodere's Freuyd & Verdrusz label—like all their music, really—is their essence distilled: tentative guitar tendrils, stoned vocals, and soft stumbling drums.

FROM THE LABEL:

Love Chants are back! Love Chants are my favorite band. Love Chants are an Australian trio that plays melancholic and drawn out guitar music on the brink of collapse. Two lead guitars slowly circle around and into each other, the drums are loose and free and inspired, a spectral voice sighs barely legible lyrics. David Keenan described their sound in a tradition of Loren Connors' minimalist blues, whilst Nic Warnock traced a line to the best ever NEU! song, "Lieber Honig".

Love Chants manage to shed everything unnecessary about "band music" and arrive at a point of painfully pure expression, trembling and confident at the same time. One of those rare combos that actually conjure a state of hypnosis and transcendence. Anthony Guerra (vocals and guitar) says he has been influenced by Hip Hop production, Okinawan Folk and early Rockabilly, which might give you a hint of its inner workings: repetition! melody! heartbreak!

Love Chants returned this year with their first release of new music in 13 years. This double A-Side follows up closely, both releases arriving exactly where they left off. The recordings do sound a bit tidier, which suits the music's clarity and sense of focus.

These are two of the most aching yet inviting songs that Love Chants have ever written and I encourage you to listen to them.

(David "Nein" Roeder)