A trio based in London, England, maintains a reclusive profile while consisting of vocalist and guitarist Ulrike Bjorsne, programmer David Farrell, and Andrew Pettit, who authors most of the group’s material. Shortwave Set cultivate deliberate anonymity, leaving even their official site devoid of biographical detail. Their 2003 formation led directly to the release of the first single, “Slingshot.” Early approval grew stronger with the buoyant follow-up “Is It Any Wonder?,” whose hook appeared near the start of the band’s debut album, The Debt Collection. The title apparently alluded to the substantial overdraft the project had incurred by completion; issued in 2005, the album also featured the singles “Figures Of 62” and “In Your Debt.” Sessions occurred inside the front room of the group’s Deptford premises, where vintage discs and battered instruments salvaged from Greenwich market were routed through a sampler whenever needed. This approach gave George Formby and the Waikiki Beach Boys understated electro-funk reinterpretations, ideally served by the smoky timbre of Bjorsne’s voice. Emphasis remained on songcraft and sonic detail, executed with an understated charm that lifted the mood throughout. The band’s understated wit surfaced most clearly on the final cut, “Yr Room,” where Bjorsne’s halting vocal delivery supplied an authentically comic conclusion.
