Introducing 254

Name: 2:54
From: London, England
Story: Sister act work the Curve
Sound: Shoegaze guitars, rock crunch, Polly Jean vocals

English sister duo just signed, in North America, to Fat Possum Records. It's not a huge surprise, given the Mississippi label has made a habit of chasing down buzzed-up bands and inking them, but it seems amusing to me in that, following on from Yuck and Fanzine, the label seems to be going out of their way to collect English '90s-nostalgia acts.

2:54 are shoegaze revivalists who hew towards the more rocking, aggressive side of the noise-guitar realm; they may be dames, but they have plenty in common with touring pals The Big Pink. They sound a lot like Curve, a little bit like Garbage, and feature a frontwoman, Colette Thurlow, whose voice —especially on "Got a Hold"— sounds like a dead-ringer Polly Jean Harvey impersonation.

For both their Scarlet EP and their forthcoming self-titled LP —due out May 28— the band worked with Rob Ellis, PJ Harvey's longtime collaborateur. Their album was even mixed by shoegaze don Alan Moulder, whose work with Curve pretty much minted the blueprint for what 2:54 are doing. Doing it, they've been breathlessly hyped in the English press, and feted as sure breakout band; with shows at SXSW this week perhaps confirming this much-tipped ascent.

• Listen: 2:54, "You're Early"
• Listen: 2:54, "Got a Hold"
• Listen: 2:54, "Scarlet"
• Visit: 2:54 website

Studies in Scarlet:
March 11: Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
March 12: Manhattan, NY - Mercury Lounge
March 14: Austin, TX - Bar96
March 16: Austin, TX - Latitude 30
March 16: Austin, TX - Fader Fort
March 20: Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
March 22: San Francisco, CA - The Rickshaw Stop