“Reptile Youth is a riot, a dream and a 21st century fuck you dadaism movement.” - Mads Damsgaard
Having already earned a devotional following after a series of intense, raucous and explosive gigs across Europe and Asia, the release of their debut single ‘Speeddance’ will let the rest of the world in on the Reptile Youth secret. Formed in Denmark in 2009 by Vocalist Mads Damsgaard Kristiansen and bassist Esben Valløe, and previously known as Reptile and Retard, the band toured extensively in 2010 and 2011 to rapturous acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Their live shows have border on barely contained chaos, their dominance of the stage inspiring a fervent following among those in the know. Danish star producer Kasper Bjørke, acting as A&R and executive producer for the band, is the man ensuring the transfer of this volatile energy to Reptile Youth’s releases.
In 3 minutes of high-octane pop punk perfection, ‘Speed- dance’ is a slap in the face to the indie pretenders, and a call to arms for a new generation.
“Speeddance is a reaction to a world of conformity. It‘s a hope and an encouragement for our generation to riot against this. Sometimes you need to lose yourself to find your way. Speeddance is this way of losing control“
Propelled by Esben Valløe’s elastic bass, ‘Speeddance’ fires out of the traps with kinetic urgency, giving way only to Mads’ anthemic, semi-deranged vocal hook. Dripping with drama, lust, and absolute self belief, the track’s elec-
tro pulse is a pure rock n roll statement. Welcome to Rep- tile Youth, the bastard sons of Iggy Pop, Suicide and the Jesus Lizard. This 7inch is a bold statement of intent – furious, sexy and provocative.
In a further homage to their punk forefathers, accompany- ing the original on the single is a remake of ‚Speeddance‘ by much-lauded Norwegian band Deathcrush - the trio of Andreas Larssen, Åse Røyset and Linn Nystadnes. After seeing them playing in a sweaty apartment in Co- penhagen, Reptile Youth quickly asked them to record their own version of the song. Åse and Linn‘s formidable female drawl leads the riot, as dance-punk meets post- fuck-noise-disco in a great big slice of attitude pie. Very close ‚to the embodiment of all that‘s good with dirty and intoxicating noise-rock‘, as described by UK techno vet- eran Luke Slater, this Nordic outfit are hot on the heels of Reptile Youth, careering around the rocky highways of the music industry with plenty of afore-missed artistry.
Signed to influential hfn music, with a hotly anticipated album produced by Dave M. Allen (The Cure, Sisters of Mercy) and Marc Ralph (Hot Chip) due out in spring, 2012 is undoubtedly the year of the Reptile and the Youth).
The enigmatic Frank Ene's solo record lives in a magical world where Serge Gainsbourg fronts Yellow Magic Orchestra. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 17, 2022
