"Lazy Eys" by Sakawa Boys

Shiba Mazaza selects a deliciously fluid and fun single by the Sakawa Boys, 'arguably one of the best acts to come out of Cape Town this year'.

Track of the Week "Lazy Eys" is a deliciously fluid and fun first release by the Sakawa Boys. This track is dreamy and vast, in a thrown-together state of chaotic finesse brought together as a demo in vocalist John Seth’s bedroom. A genuine, husky vocal that stands nonchalantly in the centre of the track is surrounded by the impressive workings of Seth and Skye MacInnes on electric guitar showing their stuff with buoyant riffs and immaculate solos. Had The Kooks, Local Natives and My Bloody Valentine been caught in a nuclear explosion, this track would be all that remained in a rainstorm of light and radiant heat. 

The four Cape Town-based friends who are Sakawa Boys burst onto the scene with a series of live shows that left audiences calling for them to quickly release a solid first album.

Sharing stages with acts such as John Wizards and Bateleur makes for massive shoes to fill as an up-and-coming band, but these young men are seasoned enough to keep their audience hanging on with bated breath. Professing a firm love for shoegaze (the British alternative-rock genre known for its lush, layered "wall of sound"), indie music and all things “niche”, the boys have swung between performing for fun as well as professionally for some time.

MacInnes has appeared in other well-received acts such as Nicolaas Van Reenen’s Fever Trails and the edgy grit-rock outfit Like Knives; Seth played with the New Loud Rockets. Rounding up the foursome are Keenan Nathan Oakes on electric bass and Peter Scott on drums. They are clearly a band made of passionate members replete with quirk and humour – arguably one of the best acts to come out of Cape Town this year. 

Do yourself a favour and go and see them live – their care-free presence on stage is catchy.