Bubblewrap

In the Summer of 1996, at the peak of their phenomenal success as York's least-popular beat-combo, Snapper tragically split due to top comedy drummer Nigel finally deciding that the time was right to realize his lifetime ambition and open a souvenir shop in Brighton. Searching for that mystical 'new direction' and lured by the promise of shorter soundchecks and quieter rehearsals, remaining band members Damian Murphy (guitars), 'H' Cambridge (bass) and Tim Brookes (vocals) entered into a bizarre Faustian pact with a suspiciously cloven-hooved drum-machine and vowed never to write songs about saucepans again. Thus was Bubblewrap born, and two dodgy 4-tracks, much gratuitous bouncing and a second-hand multi-effects box later, their eponymous debut mini-album was complete: a fusion of perky Brit-pop and punchy breakbeat. Music for doing the washing-up to. Listen and enjoy.

htr003 Bubblewrap

htr003-1. Paranoid Girfriend (Brookes) 2'56	mp3 (2.7MB)
htr003-2. Crazy or You (Brookes) 2'39	mp3 (2.4MB)
htr003-3. Let's Do Nothing (Brookes) 3'20	mp3 (3.0MB)
htr003-4. Weak At Your Knees (Brookes) 3'21	mp3 (3.1MB)
htr003-5. Candy Store (Brookes) 3'37	mp3 (3.3MB)
htr003-6. Death By Desire (Brookes) 2'50	mp3 (2.6MB)
	zip (17.2MB)

Released 1996

Programming/engineering: Tim Brookes

January 1998 Sound on Sound magazine review: "York based trio Bubblewrap reluctantly used a drum machine for this recording when they would have preferred a real drummer. This makes a change for a lot of bands, but this story has a twist. Bubblewrap actually liked using the drum machine so much that they took it to gigs with great success! ... the drum box has turned a modest guitar-led pop combo into a modern-sounding beat-machine—especially on the jungle-orientated 'Crazy or You'..."

"Not bad - bit corny" said Future Music, and who are we to argue?