Words by Jason Lee; Photo of Cor De Lux in the wild by GrayDaughter; tour dates below…
Cor De Lux are a self-described post-punk dream-pop band whose name combines the first half of the phrase cor blimey, a colloquialism used to express exasperation and/or befuddlement most closely associated with Dickensian chimney sweeps and denizens of the British working-class more generally (Dick Van Dyke excepted) and the term “lux” or “luxe” which is short for “luxurious” or “de-luxe” respectively to indicate profligacy in relation to material goods or more broadly a lifestyle dedicated to indulgence in blissed-out pleasure-seeking so it’s fitting that Cor De Lux is so skilled at locating the sweet spot between the earthy and the ethereal in their music…
…which they totally do on their most recent single “Nail Biter” cuz it’s like weird sludgy murk stirred together with pixie dust or put another way the new song combines the edgy post-punk angularity of a band like Lifeguard with the churning rhythmic drive of a band like Bambara with the hypnotic off-kilter sonics of a band like FACS with the dark-hued ambient reveries of a band like Activity…
…or put another way if you happen to be a bit *ahem* older or younger and retro-minded then “Nail Biter” may remind you of R.E.M. covering Pylon which would actually be fitting seeing as the former led off their 1987 B-sides & outtakes comp Dead Letter Office with a cover of the latter’s “Crazy” and likewise the Cor De Lux song is an outtake they recently stumbled across in their vaults and decided to release one year to the date after their Media LP for which it was originally intended which is in itself very much worth checking out…
…which is crazy cuz we’re like holy hell how is this song an outtake with “Nail Biter” being the second such example of a song left off an otherwise strong album in 2023 that we’re reviewed so far this year and it’s only February so hey all you artists out there sitting on good material please set it free or to quote from Cor De Lux’s song lyrics directly, the “power of my mind is bigger than my 45s” which we take to mean that the full extend of the band’s songwriting acumen can’t be contained within a mere 45-rpm record…
…but that’s speculative of course, and what’s more, the song’s first lines (“45 in a 45 / nail biter stay alive“) sound like they could be addressed to cops who enjoy pulling over minority drivers not even speeding as an excuse for harassment or worse which’d make sense given Cor De Lux’s inclination to progressive politics and activism (see the video above they generously sent the Deli for last spring’s Rights of Spring Fest at Our Wicked Lady, a fundraiser for abortion rights) but either way, the recurring name checking of el numero “45” in “Nail Biter” could also be a reference to firearms or malt liquor or g*d knows what else and personally we’re all in favor of letting listeners make their own individual interpretations…
…and speaking of speculation we oughta admit right here that we totally made up all that shiz in the opening paragraph above about the provenance of the band’s name name but we do live in a post-truth society and it does sound plausible plus we do stand by the whole earthy/etherial description and what’s more Cor De Lux are from a place called Kill Devil Hills which sounds totally fake but it’s not—it’s just as real as Burnt Corn, Alabama and Bitter End, Tennessee—with Kill Devil Hills being a dune-laden blustery enclave situated on North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands and with barely 7,500 residents the quaint little town is famous as the birthplace of human flight thanks to a pair of misanthropic- sibling bicycle mechanics and seriously you can’t make this shiz up but if you wanna take flight with a lot less fuss just put on “Nail Biter” and turn it up…
released February 10, 2024
Artwork: Sarah Rozell White
Dawn Moraga: Vox, Guitar
Tim Lusk: Vox, Guitar
John Bliven: Bass
Dana Quinn: Drums
TOUR DATES:
Thurs 2/22 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook
Mon 3/4 – Raleigh, NC – Neptune’s
Fri 3/29 – Philadelphia, PA – Moma2
Sat 3/30 – Richmond, VA – The Camel
Sun 3/31 – Kill Devil Hills, NC – Goombay’s
Fri 4/19 – Harrisonburg, VA – Crayola House
Sun 4/21 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook