Reptilians From Andromeda video reviews

Reptilians From Andromeda is a really cool garage punk/no-wave/post-punk band from Istanbul formed by Aybike Çelik Özbey and her husband Tolga Özbey. We were gonna do an interview last year, but I got anxious about doing an email interview (we couldn't do an international call due to signal issues) and didn't know what to do. Needless to say, it never happened. They've emailed me a bunch more times about new videos and albums, and since I'm doing this blog regularly now, let's do it! (Sorry Aybike!)



The Reptilians just released a new video two weeks ago for their song "Burning Inside". I love this song! It's a dangerous love song of unhinged desire and BDSM. The guitar has a rockabilly feel and the vocals have a disconnected quality like Niagara from Destroy All Monsters. DAM is a good reference point, at least the punk/Asheton years of that band.

The video itself is not a masterpiece, but it is good. It looks like a contemporary horror movie. I like the desaturated look of the horror scenes, and I like the close-ups of the band. The woman staring at the end is unsettling. The video kind of reminds me of the film, The House of the Devil.



Now let's go back to March of this year. Reptilians From Andromeda released a video back then called "We're Gonna Fight Tonight". This is a really poppy song that reminds me of Shonen Knife or The Ramones. The vocals and guitar are melodic, and it works. It's almost too repetitive, but the bridge sections break it up and relieve the tension. I wish the drums were a little more punchy though.

The video itself is pretty cool. It's super lo-fi, especially compared with the video for "Burning Inside". I like the washed-out VHS look, though it's also a little unpleasant too. That's fine. The video is a montage of clips, mostly of the band playing. I like the strange way it cuts back and forth; it's almost delayed(?) which makes the video really uncanny.



The first video that Aybike sent me was this one for "Get the Power". I like this song a lot too; this might be my favorite of the ones that I have heard. It has an Iggy Pop feel, like something from Lust for Life, combined with Sonic Youth riffs. I love the guitar sound a lot on this one. It propels everything in a sickly cyclone. The drums thump nicely too.

The video for "Get the Power" has a more deliberate VHS look than "We're Gonna Fight Tonight", and the colors recall the early 90's MTV appearances of Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, No Doubt, or Hole. I like the video, though it overdoes the VHS tracking stuff a little. The fuzzy shots that pan around the band work best. Combined with the cool colors, it creates a half-awake dreaming feel to the video.

I see that Reptilians From Andromeda have a self-titled album coming out soon, and I am excited to hear it. I'm glad to finally review the videos, and I appreciate the fact that they kept emailing me even when I was being a mopey loser. Maybe they will do a tour of the United States someday? It's definitely not out of their reach.