Rising Arp: Ouch! This Is The Prickly No-Rules Rock Circus Of Cactus Cactus

Step right up for the showy shenanigans of Cactus Cactus (Credit: JX Soo)

It’s hardy, razor-sharp, and piercing with the offence of 1,000 Needles. The sound of Cactus Cactus has been let out of the bullpen and it’s beginning to blitz across the scene.

Cactus Cactus is the passion project of four individuals whose madcap musicalities match their gonzo personas. Comprising King Aloe (Isaac Chiew) on vocals and guitar, Duke Diso (John Paul Kwan) on bass, Bitch Echino (Julian Stewart) on drums and Emperor Saguaro (Daniel Seah) on guitar, the ardent quartet first emerged in 2020 and have been making grand strides since. LASALLE’s Rock & Indie Festival, Baybeats and Vans Musicians Wanted are just some of the high-profile events that they've landed since their arrival, and they’ve made their presence known with rambunctious live performances and a ballooning fanbase.

Cactus Cactus have released their debut EP, *Shoutout Water* (Credit: JX Soo)

But the magic ingredient of their rising hype lies simply in their not-so-simple musicianship. It’s hard to cocoon the divergent complexities of their craft, and this is demonstrated unabashedly in their new debut EP, Shoutout Water. “I think there’s a little something for everyone,” describes King Aloe regarding the album’s four tracks. “These songs have been inspired by very specific points in my life, and in the many months since writing and recording them, listening back to them now, what they mean to me (both sonically and lyrically) has shifted – just as my own life has.”

“Thumbs Up Man” sets the tone as a politically-charged, combustible sidewinder that body-surfs on anarchy, before accelerating into a ballistic outro that lunges forward like a chariot on fire. “4 Years” is a sing-along indie anthem that prances with psychedelic fuzz guitars, J-rock-styled bass counter melodies, and summery chorus harmonies that spritz with the essence of youth. “Smoke” shows off the band’s odd hip-hop inclinations by slapping on a campy auto-tune filter onto the vocals, paired with majestic guitarwork and an impregnable rhythm section to form a mellow alt-rock cruiser. And on lead single, “Wake Work Sleep”, you get a sweaty mosh-rouser that lights up like an instant inferno; a garage rock offering that thwacks with beastly arpeggios, hand-numbing drums and vocals that somersault between gruff warcries and falsetto shrieks.

Believe it or not, Cactus Cactus is ready to give listeners whiplash with a sophomore EP already in the works, and they’re apparently planning tours around the region as well. With their unbridled gung-hoism and heck-the-rules sound, it’s safe to say that Cactus Cactus is not your average budding band.