Test Icicles have been in Japan for less than 24 hours, and nearly a quarter of that has been spent talking to journalists. Rory Atwell, the band's eldest member at the ripe old age of 25, is still somewhat game, but his younger bandmates, both just 20 years old, have a different agenda. Devonte Hynes, who admits publicly that the shock-metal band Slipknot changed his life, would rather be back at the hotel watching "Twin Peaks" DVDs. Third member Sam Mehran would rather be napping.
Not that the burnout is unexpected. Since forming in the suburbs of London less than 18 months ago, the band has been caught in a typically British maelstrom of super hype. Their first album, "For Screening Purposes Only," has been critically acclaimed, propelled by gloriously thrashy post-punk guitars that hammer out infectious riffs. Songs like "Circle. Square. Triangle." and "Boa vs. Python" seem just as at home blasting from an AM radio as they do in the grotty clubs that Test Icicles have seen far too much of lately.
Devonte Hynes: "We hadn't toured ever until we recorded the album. Our first tour started the day after we finished recording."