What happens when you take a classically trained jazz aficionado and a hard-rock lover and blend the two eclectic talents together?

You get great, original and frightfully spunky pop produced by two trend-bucking brunettes. Pam de Menezes and Christie Desfontaine make up The Arrows, the most exciting prospect in beat-riddled brilliance. Formed in 2006 out the port city of Durban, these two feisty, focused and incredibly talented musicians have been reshaping the way music is written, recorded and ultimately played. Add a licensing endorsement from major label champions Universal Music, along with a fully-fledged debut album titled Make Believe, and a mere four years in, 2010 is fast becoming the year that will see The Arrows become players on a global scale.

Their self-titled five-track EP released in late 2007 introduced more than 4 000 fans to the possibility that lurked within and, before long, The Arrows were sharing their pop ideal with concert crowds from Splashy Fen to Oppikoppi and many other music festivals across South Africa. Their debut single, “Next Time”, made it onto regional and national radio across South Africa, comfortably ensconcing itself as a staple and a lyrical launch pad for what was to follow.

Great music insists on being heard and before long the two-piece powerhouse flew beyond the confines of South Africa, heading to the US to play East and West Coast America and big chunk in between. When the two got the opportunity to record with US heavyweight producer Tim Heintz (Shakatak, Aretha Franklin), “that was the day we started taking what we did seriously,” Christie says of recording their EP. “Up until that point we had no gauge, besides our friends and families, as to whether what we did was worthy of more attention.”

“I want people to get it, to understand, appreciate and love the music as much as we both do,” Pam, a University Of Cape Town jazz music major, lead singer, songwriter and keyboard wizard, explains. “We’re incredibly socially aware too, and as the world gets smaller, the dream is, we get bigger!”

Add Christie’s raw passion to pound the skins of her drum kit at every opportunity and the end result is a Jekyll-and-Hyde pairing that’s nothing shy of intoxicating. Track for track Make Believe bristles and bubbles with enticing and pleasing ease. “All our songs have a life of their own,” Christie says. “Both on the album and live, each time they hit the airwaves and travel, something amazing happens.”

The Veronicas, Ting Tings and MGMT all understand the power of two and, like their peers, The Arrows, as a dominant duo, is keeping the cliché “less is more” well and truly alive. “It’s pop with an experimental edge,” Christie confirms. “Being in a duo is liberating,” Pam adds. With a mammoth four-month US and Australian tour set to keep the duo out of mischief until the end of the year, The Arrows continue quietly breaking every rule when it comes to getting their adrenaline-fuelled fun.

You can keep up to date with what’s happening in the life of The Arrows by checking out www.myspace.com/thearrowssa and www.thearrowsband.com
 
By Jason Curtis

Image: UNIVERSAL MUSIC