Cuticles Unveil Debut Album 'Major Works' + Video 'Holiday Cracks'

Oamaru's Cuticles elevate our Monday with their debut album Major Works, launched via US underground needle-shifters Siltbreeze (partially covered in the new 33 1/3 book on The Dead C's CLYMA et mort). Making their own kind of lyrically astute, barbed hook racket from 2021's debut single 'Cheese In My Brain' onwards, Cuticles are the comparison-defying collective of Matt Plunkett (Trendees, Pouffe), Austen Mcmillan (Moonrakers, Trendees), Tom Havard and new recruit Rebecca Anderson, with Lisa Preston being a mainstay of the group until 2022. Putting music blurb writers in the hot seat with a generous 18 tunes, including previous releases swirled together with never before heard numbers, everyday topics put under the microscope on Major Works include 'Helping Out My Dad', 'FB Guy is Crude', 'Rabbit Fur Lined Leather Glove', 'Maternity Eternity' and the pertinent 'Democracy Or Dictatorship' — front-loaded with a new version of Pavlova EP highlight 'Mattress'.

Songwriting quality is expectedly through the roof. When we covered 'Afterlife / Saras Got An I Phone' we said that EP was "infinitely more engaging than at least 98.5% other artists' full length releases", let's upgrade that by another percent point and put Major Works on repeat all day. Lucky Oamaru gig-goers can catch Cuticles with Portland's country / western outlaws Jenny Don't & The Spurs and Adam Hattaway & The Haunters at Settler Theatre on 20th October, while the rest of us will have to wait until their release shows are officially announced in the near future. In the meantime, we can all enjoy the new accompanying DIY video for 'Holiday Cracks', nab the vinyl LP edition of Major Works right HERE, and look forward to a Martin Sagadin-directed clip for 'Mattress' out soon...

Jenny Don't & The Spurs
with Cuticles, Adam Hattaway & The Haunters
Friday 20th October - Settler Theatre, Oamaru
Tickets available HERE via UTR