Orange, California glam-punk duo — and twin brothers — The Garden (aka Wyatt and Fletcher Shears) never quite fit in when they were growing up. While their friends were diving headfirst into records by Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys, the Shears brothers were absorbing albums by bands like The Killing Joke and The Minutemen and discovering punk attitudes alongside irregular pop melodicism. The brothers have translated these formative influences into a hyper-kinetic, drum-and-bass-only approach that allows them to strip away everything unnecessary about modern punk rock and get to the pounding heart of the music. Their debut record,The Life and Times of a Paperclip, was released last month on Burger Records, and they’ve been destroying stages in support ever since.
Combining a nostalgic bent while still sounding relevant, the band’s punk-pop rhythms have earned them a well-deserved place among garage rock enthusiasts and indie rock devotees alike. For our latest On Deck feature, the band has compiled a list of influences which run the gamut from Fatboy Slim’s mainstream/non-mainstream pop electronics to Prodigy’s techno pyrotechnics, and of course, the band talks a bit about some of the older influences which have helped to shape The Garden’s sound. Bands like The Killing Joke and Shattered Faith stand alongside Death Grips in a looping pattern of punk aggression and minimalist rock aesthetics that the band seems to honed to a surgical edge. Check out the duo’s full list below.
Prodigy – The Fat Of The Land
We’ve been listening to Prodigy ever since we could walk. Our dad used to play prodigy around the house, or at pool parties. It’s very nostalgic and we can still groove to it really well. And it’s always good music to listen to when touring or on the road in general.
Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby
Fatboy Slim lies in the same category as Prodigy for us. EXTREMELY nostalgic music that we will always cherish. We both always talk about how we wished they played this a school dances and clubs. There are a lot of magical songs on this album.
Killing Joke – what’s THIS for…!
This album is THEE album. Killing Joke was a very early influence on us when it came to early Garden recordings. They have a very intimidating presence to them and their music is just as intimidating. The album is filled with songs that just rip so hard, and are so creative. Some being minimalistic, and some being mind bogglingly complicated. We got the chance to see them a few years ago and were pretty much the only ones at the show, loosing it. Inside and out.
Shattered Faith – Bootleg
Shattered Faith is another extremely nostalgic band for us. We’ve been into them since we were very young. Our father use to play this record all the time, whether it be on the way to school or around the house. Around 2003 our father actually ended up joining the band and currently plays drums with them still. So, you may be able to guess, we also grew up seeing them constantly. So many memories were made at Shattered Faith shows. Once The Garden started, in “the early days”, we used to play shows with them. About a year ago we actually played with them at The Observatory in Santa Ana, both bands (Shattered Faith & The Garden) Opened for 1979 punk rock legends, X!
Death Grips – The Money Store
This is a record we really admire right now. We are all about progress, and it seems like Death Grips is all about that too. Not to mention they make music that appeals to us a lot right now. The energy that we get from this record is pretty inspiring.
The Gardens’ debut record, The Life and Times of a Paperclip, is out now on Burger Records.
