Fabulous Diamonds II

About the album

Melbourne duo Fabulous Diamonds are an odd pair. They make overtly hypnotic music, full of lulling, sensual repetition, but there’s also an edge of irritation, an undercurrent of friction that cuts through the drone and propels the songs forward.

Second album Fabulous Diamonds II by Fabulous Diamonds begins with drummer/vocalist Nisa Venerosa yelling at keyboardist Jarrod Zlatic as he counts in the first track, but they still start together in perfect unison. It’s this combination of tension and intuitive understanding that makes Fabulous Diamonds so special. T

hey have been playing and arguing together since the mid 2000s, and their musical bond has grown deeper and more expansive since their 2008 self-titled debut. That album made it into revered UK mag The Wire’s top albums of the year, and got glowing reviews from the likes of Pitchfork and The Fader. But this new record is still a remarkable development. Of its five untitled tracks, two extend well past the ten minute mark, sustaining a kind of grumpy intensity that never lags.

The album was recorded with budding producer Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring, and was mastered by Qua’s Cornel Wilczek. Like their first album, it will be released on vinyl by venerable US label Siltbreeze, home to releases by the likes of Pink Reason, Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit. Fabulous Diamonds toured the US in 2008 with the latter two bands, playing 26 dates in one month. In 2009 they were invited to perform at Belgium’s Kraak Festival alongside Wavves, Kurt Vile and others. They also played in the UK, Holland, France, Switzerland, Portugal and Sweden on their 2009 European tour. In Australia the band have played with Deerhunter, Yeasayer, the Horrors, Akron Family, Beach House and many more.