Schnarff Schnarff

Schnarff Schnarff hold the Friday mid-evening billing, and their proggy fugue is just the antidote to stave off dropping temperatures. With Oasis-esque swagger, the Inverness locals fittingly draw a large crowd, and the talented musicians storm through an insouciant, grunge-pop-laden set that plays backdrop to one of the few crowd scuffles of the weekend – and what's more rock'n'roll then that? - Claire Francis

Mario 1-2 by Schnarff Schnarff
This is what we’ve been building up to. This is the point at which this round up takes off and to make it even better it’s a free download! Parts of emo, post hardcore, alt rock and grunge all get thrown into the mix for this belting track. Lifted from their forthcoming The Evil That We Do (9th September) keep your eyes out for them. - Alt Dialogue

Originally hailing from Inverness, Scottish alt-rock band Schnarff Schnarff are now all based in Glasgow and, over the last few years, have garnered support from the likes of Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway. Having wowed crowds at T In The Park, as well as across the Glasgow live circuit, they have now released a new album, with help from renowned producer Paul Savage (Mogwai, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad).

The Evil That We Do… is a somewhat nostalgic collection of songs, inspired by the bands that Schnarff Schnarff grew up listening to. Pop-punk, ego and grunge influences are the most evident throughout, though the band succeed in fusing together a range of inspirations, resulting in their own unique, raging sound with a refreshing, driving force.

Album opener ‘Flip The Cross’ begins with throbbing beats and deep, resounding reverb, soon building into a racing, punk-rock anthem. Next track ‘This Is How We Get Some’ is filled with jangly guitars and pulsating beats alongside lush harmonies; this combination of sounds instantly evoking memories of early noughties bands such as emo favourites Jimmy Eat World.

‘Mario 1-2’ infects your ears with a driving intro that gradually builds to an intense, snarling, emotion-strewn blast of post-hardcore inspired sound. Its catchy hooks and raw vocals oozing shades of the legendary Foo Fighters. Following this raucous outburst is a gentle instrumental interlude in the form of ‘Islands i’, before the album resumes its intensity.

‘Whictey’ exudes a raging power with its heavy, metal inspired intro before developing into a lilting, catchy slice of pop-punk filled with impassioned vocals, foot-tapping beats and intricate musicality. Continuing in this vein is ‘Cadavers’; reminiscent of the ‘Screamo’ bands of my teenage years, its booming bass-lines and steady beats build a tension before your ears are hit with the raw, fist-clenching power of its catchy chorus.
Following the more uptempo ‘Wolves’ and ‘Heavens No!’ is penultimate track ‘Urrrgh’ – an angst-driven, anthemic wall of sound that I can easily imagine moshing out to (back in the day).

Finally, drawing this raucous collection of tracks to a close, is the concluding part of the ‘Islands’ trilogy, ‘Islands iii’; a delicate musical epilogue to attention-grabbing creation from Schnarff Schnarff. - Editor - Fortitude Magazine

From up on the platform at the back of the venue (I could finally see, result!) I saw Schnarff Schnarff take the stage, they were faced with a packed out venue of a hyped up crowd who were screaming and shouting as the band made their appearance. From the outset it was clear to see just why the crowd were so hyped, I was blown away by their performance. Breaking into the first song, it became apparent that they were about to make a lasting impression on the nights gig goers. Their performance was high energy and full of raw power as the crowd jumped and danced along. They captivated the crowd and drew you into their performance. They provided a set of class songs that you could seriously move your feet to. Big things are definitely ahead of Schnarff Schnarff. - Kitt - Club Decode

Scottish alternative rock quintet Schnarff Schnarff have released their new album “The evil that we do…” with help from renowned producer Paul Savage (Mogwai, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad) .

‘The evil that we do…’ brings nostalgia from the late nineties and early norties, when emo and pop punk had risen in popularity, becoming more commercial and bands like Green Day, Blink 182 and Sum 41 were breaking into the pop charts with songs that usually attracted a majority of teens, promoting extreme sports and owning baggy jeans. However, incorporating catchy melodies to their music from sub-genres of all types of alternative rock, Schnarff Schnarff create their unforgettable nostalgic sound, producing a passionate display of their newest art.

Album opener ‘Flip The Cross’ introduces the LP perfectly and builds into somewhat of a punk rock anthem, while ‘This Is How We Get Some’ is filled harmonies akin to early nouties emo masters Jimmy Eat World. ‘Mario 1-2’ is jammed with post-hardcore influence, building once again from start to finish its catchy hooks and raw vocals mirror Nirvana and Foo Fighters rock legend Dave Grohl.

Heavily metal influenced tracks like ‘Whictey’ and ‘Cadavers’, produce a sound reminiscent to that of the screamo genre, before breaking into the catchy chorus that breaks away from the heaviness of the track, producing something more appealing for commercial ears. Following the more uptempo ‘Wolves’ and ‘Heavens No!’ is penultimate track ‘Urrrgh’, a track full of angst and pain that wouldn’t go a miss within the mosh culture. The album then concludes with ‘Islands’ trilogy, ‘Islands iii’; beautifully placed in-between tracks, shows the diversity of Schnarff Schnarff’s creation.

Schnarff Schnarff are now all based in Glasgow and, over the last few years, have garnered support from the likes of Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway. Having wowed crowds at T In The Park, as well as across the Glasgow live circuit.

The evil that we do… by Schnarff Schnarff is out now via Black Dug Records. - Fame Magazine

The debut album The Evil That We Do . . . from Schnarff Schnarff was released on 9th September with the Inverness band launching the album in their adopted hometown of Glasgow a week later at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

This is an extremely imaginative and varied collection of songs, each adding their own little piece of drama to the soundscape of an album which was recorded by Mogwai, The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks producer Paul Savage.

The band display a desire to go against the grain of the current accepted musical norm, producing music similar to the bands that influenced them growing up. So if you’re a fan of Brand New, Coheed and Cambria, Alkaline Trio, Deftones, Nirvana, Pixies, or QOTSA to name more than a few, then this album should be of interest to you.

‘Flip the Cross’ is the opening track (and latest animated video) starting with a burst of drums and resounding bass. The driving chorus has you toe-tapping and head-nodding instantly. There’s no let up as ‘This Is How We Get Some’ takes over with jangly guitars and a real indie/punk feel. Things are a bit more riff-driven on ‘Mario Level 1-2’ as the sound takes a larger and rounder turn only to be slowed down considerably in the short ‘Islands, pt. 1’. The almost schizophrenic ‘Whictey’ follows with its lovely intro descending gradually into a darker, almost metal version of itself before becoming a jaunty little slice of indie-pop (albeit with some recurring dark episodes).

There’s no rest as the powerful bass on ‘Cadavers’ pushes us on through to the catchy chorus with the help of some raging guitars. The atmospheric intro on ‘Gothic Waltz’ is soon augmented by emotive vocal and powerful guitar before things simmer down into a calming outro. ‘Islands, pt. 2’ takes ‘…pt.1’, speeds it up and adds a whole new dimension to the sound resulting in a real grown-up alt-rock vibe that gives glimpses of much bigger things to come.

The up tempo ‘Heavens No!’ is over in no time before the huge guitar sound of ‘Wolves’. ‘Urrrgh’ is the extremely energetic penultimate track before ‘Islands, pt. 3’ brings everything to an almost dreamlike conclusion.

With a collection of songs as imaginative and complexly constructed as these it’s hard to see anything but exciting times ahead for them. - Alan Vaughan