Are We Friends Yet? is a snapshot of 1000 Rabbits’ first two years as a band – recorded in living rooms, rehearsal spaces and on stage. The London-based band have crafted six tracks here that work wonderfully in a live setting and when engaging with the audience. Stylistically, 1000 Rabbits move between chamber pop and post-punk edginess, yet with a certain theatrical directness.
The single »Virgin Soil« is the highlight of the EP. It begins with slow, meandering guitar and string melodies that initially seem more tentative than purposeful. This creates a wonderful sense of tension before the song tips over into a driving finale of aggressive drums and rough-edged vocals.
»Rubik’s Cube« also demonstrates just how precisely 1000 Rabbits can structure their seemingly loose energy. The instruments interlock with great precision; rhythmic shifts and angular lines make the song seem both playful and jagged. The fact that ‘Spring Cleaning’ ends with the eponymous question ultimately makes the album a personal collection of friends who feel particularly at home in the experimental atmosphere of the Windmill scene. Are We Friends Yet? navigates the delicate space between closeness and uncertainty. It is precisely in this state of limbo that 1000 Rabbits find their strongest expression.
