Who? New Zealanders Ricky “Be Cool” Ramirez (guitarist), Nick Johnston (vocals), Brent Harris (drums) and Philip Hadfield (bass) make up Cut off Your Hands. Their debut EP Shaky Hands dropped Oct. 9 via the IAMSOUND imprint, and a studio full-length is currently underway with producer and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Playing CMJ at the Delancey on Wednesday (Oct.17) at 9 P.M.
What’s the Deal? From a country that has as many stereotypes as there are sheep, Cut Off Your Hands doesn’t fall into any of them, except for cute and foreign. The quartet perform a pop rock play on old school punk. Their stop start rhythms and long drawn build-ups make their music as danceable as a Girl Talk mash-up. On “Expectations,” the boys strip the song down to its bones, and layer their vocals in one by one, mixing in nonsense syllables with an obvious lilt in their voices. The simplistic driving guitar chords push the song forward and force you happily into their next song. “Tell Me About” is a spastic guitar-driven cut, which recalls bits of the Strokes and Klaxons. Get ready to fall for the jaunty mess that is Cut Off Your Hands.
Fun Fact: Cut Off Your Hands changed their name from Shaky Hands after being threatened with a lawsuit from Oregon indie rockers named The Shaky Hands. Their new name came from the original title of their EP, which is now called Shaky Hands. Got it?�
Now Hear This:Cut Off Your Hands – “You and I” DOWNLOAD MP3
On the Web:Cut Off Your Hands at MySpace
Talk: Do your get shaky hands when you hear Cut Off Your Hands?
