Olga Bell of Dirty Projectors and Tom Vek make up the Brooklyn/London-based project called Nothankyou. Though Dirty Projectors is probably Bell’s well-known job, she’s made music on her own long before joining the group last year under, of course, the name BELL. Bell’s projects have always presented a fussy, electronic take on pop and while Nothankyou is no exception, it varies a bit in tone from her previous work. It’s a more contemporary take on electro-pop than older BELL songs, trading the ’80s synth influence for the bassier, rougher sounds of today’s scene. It may be a bit early to generalize considering Nothankyou has only put out two tracks, but we’ll just run with it.
“Oyster,” side AA on Nothankyou’s newest single, is a collage of stuttering electronics and emotive vocals. The track starts with an intergalactic synth sample and some awesome stereophonic percussion. Bell’s vocals are breathier and more robust than her Dirty Projectors female counterparts, Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle, and is more akin to Annie Clark of St. Vincent. The verse leads to a self-assured chorus that sees Bell screaming “Do what you want anyway” over distorted guitars. At first I thought the chorus sounded a bit forced, but it grew on me with repeated listens — although I still am not a fan of the way Bell uses that seemingly omnipresent vocal transformer that pops up in the chorus. That’s a 2013 hallmark that we should leave to Vampire Weekend.
No word on whether this is a one-off deal or if there’s an album on the way, but either way Nothankyou’s “Know Yourself/Oyster” single is worth checking out.