Soviet X-Ray Record Club

Formed in the midst of Brisbane’s indie pop epidemic of 2012, SXRC took their cues from broader influences including dream-pop, post-punk, noise pop and dark wave minimal synth. The 5 piece, at the time consisting of Steven Appleton (vocals/guitar), Kurt Pitman (Bass), Shaun Paton (Keys/Vox), Cameron Nicholls (guitar) and Leith Jacobs (drums), awkwardly performed amongst mismatched line-ups at a time where their noisey downbeat shows weren't always well received by local crowds, who were largely focused on the clean cut, easy listening sound Brisbane was producing at the time.

It wasn’t until their 2014 Magnetic North Single Tour Melbourne show, nationally supporting Melbourne shoegaze sweethearts Flyying Colours, that they inspired to hone their reputation as a live act to ‘not be missed’ after watching locals Strangers From Now On stun the audience with their intense performance.

Instead of apprehensively dabbling with singles and EPs, SXRC chose to dive into the deep end, releasing their debut self-recorded and produced full-length album Wake [2015]. Wake spawned 3 singles: the unsatisfied wanting of minimal post-punk song Never Enough, the noisy industrial/dance-pop of Good Things (I Only Think Of) and the upbeat romantic anti-pop of Shake (which appeared on Channel 9’s Surf TV). The remainder of the album, sombre in tone, gained them a reputation as “a dark horse of the Australian music scene”, whilst their live show “garnered a cult-like following, thanks in part to their explosive song deconstructions and abrasive noise excursions, reminiscent of Swans and A Place To Bury Strangers”. - Hell Hound, 2015.

After the band's first album, which saw them complete 3 East coast tours and support the likes of The Belligerents, Flyying Colours, New Gods and Nantes in 2015, differences of opinions and personal problems led to an unprompted hiatus. This saw them give up a support with post-punk icons Viet Cong, and SXRC’s only touring in 2016 was to support the sun-blistered noise-pop single ‘This Girl’. The track earned them the moniker ‘Noise Pop Lords’ [AAA Backstage 2016], and would later appear on their ‘Houses’ EP in 2017. SXRC were also invited to provide a dark, swirling rendition of The Cure’s ‘A Strange Day’ for Brazilian Blog TBTCI’s tribute album.

Just prior to the recording of the ‘Houses’ EP, Nicholls vacated his position as guitarist and the band carried on as a 4 piece, abandoning the studio and releasing the EP in an almost demo form. ‘Houses’, a heavily synth orientated release complete with glitch breakdowns and electro drum and bass, was written and recorded entirely by Appleton during this transitional period in anticipation of a lineup change. He muses: ‘I recorded it with a set of self-imposed rules - there were to be no natural drums and a complete absence of guitars amps on all the recordings. The sound created was intense but balanced out with pop hooks, and an understated quality. The title track ‘Houses’ appeared on a limited run compilation vinyl, alongside acts like Vacations and Major Leagues, produced by Sydney DIY label, Echo Room.

Early 2018 will see the single "Weekend", reflective of a more cohesive ‘band in a room’ direction, and a more polished recording than anything previously released by the band. Having regained their full-stride again as a four piece, SXRC are currently at work on their next full-length, produced by post-punk/noise guitarist from outfit Idylls, Chris Brownbill, to forge a darker, rawer, yet still danceable sound that borrows from '80s post-punk, synth-pop, and ‘90s noise rock. The resulting EP will arrive in Early 2019.