Blueprint Playlist: adults + Spank Hair

Welcome 2 a brand new Blueprint Playlist—where I ask artists with new music out to share five(ish) songs that have inspired or informed the songs in some way or another.

This is what we call a twofer. Double the bands, double the fun. 'Cause we have two UK bands doing some playlisting today: adults (a band in South London who combine "elements of indie-pop, punk, emo and just a little bit of 2009 vintage math-rock") and Spank Hair (a band in Oxford who "like to play fast, loud and tasteful emo rock"). The bands just released a split EP called ...in the big league on Fika Recordings, and it truly is two great tastes that taste great together; I love adults' snappy tempos, loose strumming and double-tracked vocals, and I love Spank Hair's theatrical, trumpet-infused arrangements (and the extremely stuck-in-my-brain hook "I wish I was a major player in the cowboy scene" in the song "Cowboy Scene"). They pair fantastically on the EP—both these bands definitely know how to write a catchy rock song.

Oh and they are also putting the EP out as a riso-printed zine which is very cool.

Carl, Joe, Joely and Tom from adults shared some inspirational songs with I Enjoy Music, as did Luke from Spank Hair....read on and you will see them and maybe hear them as well....

adults' Blueprint Playlist

"Make You Smile" - Dear Nora

Dear Nora is an artist a friend of mine found online in the last couple of years or so and then recommended to me. We both love catchy, fuzzy, lo-fi guitar pop and Dear Nora's songwriter Katy Davidson has written some incredible tunes in that vein, as well as some equally great laid-back stuff, over the 25 or more years they've been putting music out. This one is my favourite, it's snappy and fun, which is the kind of music I like playing most. Upset The Rhythm put them on in London late last year and it was great. I think KD was stunned by how much of a devoted audience has developed over here, especially with people who were kids when this song was recorded and have discovered their music through file sharing or streaming — carl

"Your Boyfriend" - Radiator Hospital

Something Wild is a really important record for us. RH are the best song writers. when we first started out playing together one of the first things we learned was a cover of Our Song (ofc!) and then the lovely and v generous Tobi (of Dictionary Pudding) offered us a slot supporting them in brighton?! it was maybe our second or third gig and we lost one of the songs we could play ! sadly, i was so shy and nervous i think i lost a few years of life too. but it was really special for us starting out to get that opportunity and to see the real proper band RH, who were really lovely, even if we were a chaotic mess. we appreciate you Tobi ! this record means a lot to me. i still listen to it far too much and it fills me with warm feelings whenever i hear it in the (something) wild. — joely

"Retreat! Retreat!" - 65daysofstatic

i’ve punished everyone i know and love about this band. they were the first band i truly loved, but more importantly the first not-a-punk-band who i saw actually living out what they believed. they told ppl to steal their music and give the cash away. they cataloged the carbon output of their 2005 european tour. they bootlegged and were bootlegged. they were weird and sincere and self deprecating. they wrote late night manifestos that felt like they meant something even if no one else read them. we make totally different music to them, but i hope we keep some of that diy ethos alive and mean something even if its to one weirdo kid on the internet somewhere. — tom

"F L A G // B U R N E R" - Martha

Martha are a band we all love and a big influence on our music. We have been together as a band to see them a few times over the years—I think at the last Fortuna Pop! show, at Moth Club and at Earth in Hackney. They’re always brilliant live and I think their most recent album (which this song is from) is their best yet. They’re also really nice people! — joe

"Met Line Bling" - Sugar Rush!

SR! were the first band we toured with and it was such a treat to listen to their songs each night. luce marcelo and ankles wrote killer songs and they left a big hole when they split. they would swap round instruments like the talented bastards they are and each brought such different qualities which beautifully complimented one another. they are all still making cool music in various forms—which we recommend you check out !—i feel like as a band we learnt lots from them and owe them for being patient with us amateurs. if we manage to write anything as good as this EP Coping, i’d be dead chuffed. - joely

Spank Hair's Blueprint Playlist

David Bazan - "Fewer Broken Pieces"

David Bazan/Pedro the Lion is the absolutely master of glib and profoundly songs about regret and the misery of trying to be an artist in a cruel and exhausting world. This song in particular, about his decision to leave the band and go solo is as funny as it is openly pissed off. The guitars are beautiful and winding, the drums are solid as hell and it’s everything Spank Hair has ever wanted to rip off.

"A Labyrinth With No Center" - Pile

Another band that we try endlessly to rip off and yet could not end up sounding more different (as far as men being sad over guitars goes). Pile are a huge band for me and have been super influential, especially while working on Cowboy Scene and Many Phones. I love their horrible, clashy chords that are all throughout Labyrinth and I’ve slightly stolen one or two of them and used them excessively in the guitar for these songs.

"The Crows of Emmerich" - Emperor X

Since discovering Emperor X I’ve always been amazed by his ability to blend almost sci-fi influences with the painfully human, as well as his thoughts on transport infrastructure that he seems to squeeze into every song. He’s AMAZING. Many Phones is the first song we’ve written in a long time where I’ve tried to squeeze in even a tiny bit of that influence. It’s still come out as really literal and personal but I had fun trying!

"claws" - Charli XCX

Spank Hair loves pop music and we are of the opinion that Claws by Charli XCX is probably the great pop song of all time. I don’t think anyone ever recorded it luckily but there was a dark time a few years ago when we attempted to cover it and it was Not Great! Amazing song, amazing artist.

"Cowboy Dan" - Modest Mouse

Cowboy Dan! The original major player in the cowboy scene! We just thought it would be fun to do a song recontextualising our favorite cowboy and his angst about the all-engulfing nature of capitalism and the destruction of the natural world, and we ended up writing it all about feeling sad that we aren’t rock stars. It’s an amazing song anyway and Modest Mouse are wicked.

Thank you adults and Spank Hair! Check out their split EP!! And thanks for reading I Enjoy Music. If you like it, send a hyperlink to a friend who might also enjoy music.