Aberdeen

Aberdeen were founded in Los Angeles, California: a place detached from the ‘Sarah’ scene, yet one in which the luscious guitar tones and summery riffs of twee pop feel more suited than overcast British suburbia.

Helmed by John Girus and Beth Arzy, the duo amassed a tight yet blissful discography of EPs and albums of beautifully melodic, melancholic and dreamy songs fully enveloping the cliche topics of summer sunshine, young love, and the lack thereof.

The band’s first EP, ‘Byron’, released in 1994 on Sarah, was slated at the time by critics. “What dull lives they must lead. Aberdeen ought to ...get a couple of Es down their necks”, to quote Melody Maker: A prime example of the boisterous, hedonistic raver mentality in which music was consumed at the time, that these bands were shying away from. They followed up that same year with the ‘Fireworks’ EP, and then in 1995 with the infectious ‘Snapdragon’ on Sunday records; a Chicago founded indie label specialising in similar sounds. All these eps have gone on to become cult classics within the twee pop scene, and become highly sought after due to their limited runs at the time. After some heavy long distance back-and-forthing, Toothgrinder Press are excited to announce the reissue of a large amount of the Aberdeen discography on vinyl for the first time in 30 years.

The tracklist boasts the entirety of the bands first 3 EPs +2 bonus tracks, one of which being ‘Sink or Float’, originally recorded for the Buffy The Vampire OST. In recent years the UK music scene has witnessed a huge resurgence in these naive, stripped back and twee sounds. The ubiquitous looping of Dean Blunt almost exclusively harks back to this era and bands such as Dry Cleaning, Fat White Family & Bar Italia all have songs that seemingly could have been lifted from Aberdeen and the like‘s discography.

In an era where the overproduction of music and reliance on technology is now more prevalent than ever, it’s comforting that Aberdeen’s sound, 30 years on, is just as fresh and appreciated than ever