If you’ve been following the blog for a while now, you’ll know how much I love Fir Cone Children. Alexander Donat’s passion project exudes positivity and optimism from every note played. I covered his last album Waterslide at 7amback in 2020 when it brightened my lockdown days no end. Back in December 2021 Donat launched his latest album It Chooses You featuring collaborations with my good pals Krissy Vanderwoude and Jackie Kasbohm.
It’s my pleasure to premiere the video to the latest single from that album, ‘Cereals and Confidence’. I asked Alex to tell us a bit about the song itself
“Like all FCC songs this one is about my daughters and how they grow up. After 1st grade I recognized how my first daughter’s self-confidence was taking a leap. The little girl that, in the first weeks, had tears in her eyes when entering the school building suddenly learned arithmetic, and – in no time – became an amazing reader that blew me and my family away.
It was almost as if every spoon of cereal she took in, helped her body grow and her ability to understand complex things. ‘Snowblack’ is the name of her mouse, a pet she dearly loves and cares for. It’s like a companion that additionally helps her in difficult times. Seeing her holding Snowblack, giving her a soft kiss on the head is heart-breaking.”
The song has an eighties, goth art house vibe. The bass could’ve been lifted straight from a Cure track. The lush synths lift and surround the vocals. I love how the song evolves as it progresses, right up to that buoyant, uplifting ending. I’ve listened to this song so many times now and I still can’t get my head around how he created the chorus. The drums alone are stunningly complex. It’s classic Fir Cone Children. Uplifting and life affirming lyrics framed in a killer track.
Before you enjoy the video, I asked Alex a bit about how it came about.
“During last year’s summer holidays, I knew I’d take the opportunity to shoot a video on the west coast of Denmark. The scenery was amazing, the weather perfect, not too cold, not too hot.
When my daughters weren’t too eager to go to the beach after a longer walk in the countryside, my wife asked me: “Wanna shoot the Fir Cone Children video today? Weather’s perfect!”
I went for “Cereals & Confidence” because it’s a song without guest vocals and it was the only one from the “It Chooses You” album where the topic fit to what we could and would shoot: sun, wind, joy, beach, the sea, vast green dunes, happiness. The mind is as wide as an ocean. It made sense, and I really enjoyed running around. The fun was real.”
Here it is, the video for ‘Cereals and Confidence’. Enjoy.
Having been fortunate enough to had a sneak peek atAssessment, the 2021 breath-taking release from Tren Go! Sound System & Ornamental I was buzzing to hear from the good folks at Dirty Filthy Records. Pedro Pestana, the man behind Tren Go! Sound System is poised to release his next record and this time it’s something totally different. Here’s what they have to say about this album.
“Suspended Islands OST. The soundtrack for Wura Moraes and Darya Efrat’s site-specific performance trajectory along Ria de Aveiro, known as the Venice of Portugal.
The audience would attend the small island performances on boats and their route would be accompanied by this contemplative music.
The estuary is the main source of inspiration for this soundtrack. The sweet and salty water’s apparent lack of waves doesn’t hide its own tidal rhythms. It’s a meeting place and we’re invited to visit.”
This does sound like a change from the frenetic energy and pace of Assessment. Let’s chill out and pull on the headphones for this one.
The record opens with the ambient tones of ‘Welcome Aboard!’. With the sound of the wind across the river the song opens and evolves through glimpses of vocal like wails and eerie sonic textures. Eventually the unmistakable tones of Pestana’s guitar appears through the mist and gives this song form and meaning. A soothing and relaxing opening leads us to track two, ‘The Swing of Things’.
We actually begin on a looped guitar riff phasing in and out hypnotically. Over this come more guitars, layering, building, weaving in and out of each other. This song absolutely conjures the mental image of a midnight boat ride. That initial loop is like the percussive sound of the tide against the hull and the glint of the moon on the water. It’s mesmerising stuff.
This takes us to my album highlight ‘The Long Run (Excerpt)’. There’s something unquestionably beautiful about this track. It just feels right. I’m not sure why but it just feels familiar, like an old friend, rediscovered. The stunning guitar has elements of South American folk music with the most restrained fuzz notes played with the utmost care. I could sit and listen to this ebb and flow into my ears for hours quite happily.
The experience completes itself with ‘The Long Run’ itself. An eighteen-minute exploration piece which builds on the tones and themes of the excerpt to craft a monumental aural journey. I would implore you to lie back and let the music carry you away. There’s so much to take in and enjoy along the way but it never overwhelms or vexes you. On the contrary. This is a warm and comforting embrace of a tune, one which the excerpt only alluded to.
Suspended Islands, in it’s four tracks, absolutely captures the feel of that estuary. It is a stunning example of an artist being able to paint pictures in your head with music. The ultimate goal of any soundtrack. It is so far removed from Pestana’s previous work but it’s obviously somewhere he feels totally at home. The comfort is palpable in this music. It literally pours from every note embracing and nurturing our soul. Don’t take my word for it. Cast off and drift on downriver yourself.
Suspended Islands OST is available now on opaque yellow vinyl via Dirty Filthy Records.
You can follow Tren Go! Sound System on social media here…
The last couple of years have been hard for us all and we’re starting to see the experiences of this tumultuous period coming through in the art of today. None more so than the music we are listening to. Such is the preface to the new album from Maryland based musician Sean F. Schultz aka Soñder.
Broken in Placeis an album created to heal and to process the grief from the loss of his father. This is a pain and journey we will all face in our lives. One which we’ll all need help and support through.
The journey begins in the digitised intro to ‘SubUrban Sprawl’. Soon the drums and synths lift us into a majestic soundscape evoking a futuristic city. There’s a lovely section mid song where the track takes a quiet break making the build to the end all the more dramatic and ominous. Glorious start to the album.
‘Alarm #2’ is next. It’s a discombobulating, panic attack in musical form. It captures the anxious energy and then very cleverly flips the mood half way through a couple of times. It erupts into this purposeful, driving number before settling back into a nervous moment and back again. This one really keeps you on your toes.
The signposts are clear in the next track ‘Organ Donor’. The guitars are literally crying, screaming with the grief of loss. The song even samples the life support machines final bleeps. The pace doesn’t let up, as life doesn’t. We must process what we are hearing as you would the loss itself. Damn, this is clever songwriting.
Following this is ‘Monster Trucker’ it’s a groove driven piece with sumptuous layered guitars punctuated by glassy then creamy dark synth tones. The intensity of this music is overwhelming at times, as is grief. The cries of “is anyone out there, anyone” are utterly heart-breaking in the closing section.
The expressive guitar playing steps up a notch in ‘a Maze in’. they genuinely sound like the cries of anguish, of confusion. Shultz is pushing his playing to the extreme on this track. Guitars soar and dive around and over each other interspersed with a spoken word track.
‘1984’ arrive awash with the most impressive synth wall of sound so far. Sounding far more uplifting and cohesive than the previous tracks, almost like a moment of calm or lucidity has befallen Schultz and his optimism is shining through.
It’s with a heavy wink of the eye Shultz names ‘Black Notes Matter’. Thundering piano notes pound as the guitars and drums scrap it out. After a short peaceful interlude, the track kicks back in and escalates to frenetic workout. This occurs a couple more times. The quiet section only making the louder piece more potent, more powerful.
We head down to the ‘Underground’ next. Traversing this song in the regular rhythm of the carriage as it moves steadily, station to station. There’s a palpable sense of contemplation here. Almost like we are taking some time out to ponder our place in life. Sombre synth tones carry the bass notes while the guitars and drums add that metallic element to the soundtrack of this journey. It’s a really effective use of music to convey imagery to the listener.
‘Horror Bull’ has us back in that anxious mode. The descending bass adds a claustrophobia hitherto untapped on this album. This leaves the synths and guitars free reign to play with our panic and existential dread. It’s a heavy, unrelenting and unforgiving track. All the more effective that way. To me it signals the very nature of grief.
Next up is ‘Outer Lude 4.24’. This is an upwards facing song, like screaming to the heavens at night. Where the drums have dictated the pace throughout the album it’s the synths stepping into that role here. Could this be symbolic of the head taking control again from the emotional beat of the heart? I’ll let you decide.
We close out the album on a more chilled note with ‘S.O.B.’. It’s almost balladlike in contrast to the extremes of the preceding tracks. Whilst there is a kind of acceptance in the pace and more stripped back nature if this song there remains that undercurrent of anxiety. To me this says that grief isn’t a process you go through. It’s something that lives with us forever. Sometimes it’s there at the forefront of our minds, bringing us to our knees. Other days it’s there to remind us of the good times and to keep our loved ones close forever.
In Broken in Place Schultz has crafted a deeply thought-provoking album that challenges all our pre conceptions of loss and our reactions to it. It is immensely affecting and will reward repeat listening’s with more layers of meaning. More discoveries in its stunning mix of synths and guitars.
Broken in Place is available now on CD and digital via Bandcamp.
I’m a sucker for a hook and punchy guitar riffs. Which is why I was buzzing to get a mail from my pal Andrea Caccese of Italian band Dead Rituals. Last March I covered the release of a killer acoustic track from the band called ‘When The Lights Are Out’. They have just dropped their latest single ‘Sober’. Of the band Caccese had this to say.
“Dead Rituals is a band with a focus on creating music that blurs the lines between punk, dream-pop and shoegaze. The group’s music is often notable for its darker, angsty tones, but this new track dives into a brighter, uplifting vibe. “Sober” is no-frills, colourful and fun, embracing the band’s yearning to just get out there and play music.”
I couldn’t wait to dive in.
The track opens on delicately picked guitar and gently sung lyrics. It’s not long though until the song explodes with ricochet drums and powerful guitars. Then there’s the chorus.
Wow! It just takes off and soars! The backing vocals of Brita Penfold adding that extra something that just lifts the song even higher. ’Sober’ just screams hit! This track deserves to be charting all over the globe.
Check out the video here then head on over to Bandcamp and buy the song and while you’re there check out Dead Rituals back catalogue.
El Paso Texas is a simmering hotbed of musical talent. I seem to be mentioning the town more and more in my blogs and radio shows. Hailing from the border town come two amazing shoegaze bands, joining forces to release a split EP.
First up we have Get Well. I’ll let them introduce themselves.
“Get Well are a four-piece band fronted by Julian Martinez. Julian’s themes of growing pains and heartbreak drive the songs that don’t sound familiar, but feel familiar.
This family filled band distinguishes genres of Midwest emo and Shoegaze to an organic blend of music.”
Secondly, we have the power quintet Intentions. Here’s what they have to say.
“Intentions combine slow, incoherent tones and warm embraces of reverb to artfully establish the link between heavy guitars and heart-breaking nostalgic themes. With the crashing undertones and gloomy melodies, Intentions builds a distinctive connection that pushes the envelope of Shoegaze and Slowcore.”
Ok guys I’m sold. Let’s dive in and see what this EP sounds like.
Get Well get us underway with the percussive gaze of ‘Death Floatz’. Drawing influence from the Relapse Records stable of bands like Nothing and Cloakroom this is reassuringly heavy. The blissed-out fuzz washing over the breathy vocals. The rifle crack drums and muted bass, it’s all that good stuff. We’re off to a great start.
‘Bleed With You’ draws more on The Jesus and Mary Chain as influence. That said, it’s a gloriously strident song. Triumphant in parts even. The song makes great use of dynamics to keep the listener on their toes. Without doubt my favourite of their two songs on show here.
They hand the baton to Intentions with their song ‘Home’. This band have a dreamier approach with the song opening over heavily modulated guitars and softly sung vocals. That calm is quickly punctured in the choruses with an onslaught of fuzz and distortion. I absolutely love how the song builds and builds in intensity.
Intensely is how their second number, ‘V’, opens. Sludgy and gloomed out chords ring out before receding and the gentle flow of the verse takes over. It’s only temporary though as the chorus brings the noise. This song is paced beautifully. Everything has its space and there’s absolute clarity in the mix. Even though this track clocks in at over six minutes, it just doesn’t seem long enough. I loved this track, definitely my favourite of the two.
These two bands really complement each other’s styles and if heavy gaze is your jam, then this EP will make you very happy indeed.
The Intentions // Get Well EP is out on June 3rd and is available over on Bandcamp.
You will undoubtedly know Rosie Varela from her outstanding band Eep. Now she has stepped into the spotlight with her solo album What Remains. A native of El Paso, Texas she has drawn on the musicality and creativity of her band mates and friends to help her realise her vison. Joining her are Ross Ingram, Sebastian Estrada, Serge Carrasco, and Lawrence Brown III from EEP with the addition of Aldo Portillo on guitar and keys.
About the process of creating the songs for What Remains Varela has this to say.
“These are songs that didn’t quite fit the shoegaze genre of EEP and in fact, they weren’t meant to be genre-specific at all. This is a fusion not just of musical influences, but of life experiences.
At its core, The Project is about simplicity – simple song structures that leave room for free studio experimentation and innovation.”
Knowing the calibre of this team’s song writing makes me eager to dive in, so let’s do that now.
We open on the gentle sway to and fro of ‘Louise’. The tender musical backing belying the dark subject matter of a sabotaged relationship. Straight away we are hearing a band at play. Living in the creative moment. The textures and sounds effects around this song are there because the creators understand that sound affects. Everything has a place and purpose.
We segue neatly into ‘Wound’, a heartfelt cry from an America on fire. The rise of the divisive right, the splintering of society, racial abuse, school shootings. This is a deeply affecting song. You can feel the helplessness in Varela’s delivery. The band do a wonderful job of giving that feeling room to express itself in the song. Of ‘Wound’ Varela says
“This is a song about someone who feels helpless, crying out for a miracle to change the fear, and hatred that the narrator is witnessing and experiencing within themselves as they spiral downwards emotionally. The last two lines offer hope as the narrator comes to grips with saving themselves by saying, “give me your hand, I think I can pull you out again.”
‘Night Sky’ blooms on the speakers next. Like a beautiful flower it slowly unfurls and shows us its gorgeous multi-coloured, multi textured form. There are songs you instantly connect with and for me ‘Night Sky’ is one of those songs. We’ve all gazed up at the starry sky in awe and pondered our place in the cosmos. This song perfectly captures that feeling. From the stunning call and response of the verses to the overlapping vocals in the latter sections of the track. We are transported.
Next is the deeply harrowing lyric of ‘What Remains’. This song, the intensely personal exorcism of the emotional damage from childhood sexual abuse, is profoundly moving. You cannot help but feel the hurt and despair of the child. That then turns to rage as you know you cannot help them. The song is quite a sparse arrangement allowing Varela’s vocal performance to deliver the emotional punch that floors you every time. Full credit to the band for their parts here, particularly Brown’s wonderfully beguiling drums.
The sound of the desert is all over ‘Leave Me Alone’. Like a lost Eagles or America track it brings to mind a woman walking out of the desert of a bad relationship into the sun. Again, this genius band take the simplest of structures and add in textures and lovely harmony singing to elevate it to something really quite beautiful.
‘Fault Line’ comes in like a Bond theme. Incredibly cinematic and boy does it get widescreen in scope. This track has a Beatles level recording story involving reverse tracking, learning to play the song backwards and of course, mellotron strings. The song is about being able to spot the red flags around toxic people (mainly men). It’s sung with a steely determination and you can sense this comes from lived experience. As the song heads into its final stretch, it explodes into bloom. Full on psychedelia follows with reverse guitars and Beatle-esque strings like Strawberry Fields Forever. These aren’t the sounds we’re used to hearing from Varela but she owns it. The creativity and sonic dexterity on display could only have come from her heart and head.
‘My Sunshine’ tries to fool us with its subdued, melodic intro. As the vocals kick in, we hit the accelerator and we’re off. There are some glorious musical flourishes on show here. From the various synth tones to the western influenced guitars. It all comes together beautifully to lift the song all the way to the conversation style outro. You just never know what’s coming next and that’s a major strength of this band.
There are so many points on the album where you can identify with the lyrics. None more so I’m sure, than on ‘Foolish Things’.
“He came to me. A wolf in wolf’s clothing. But I couldn’t see. I was naïve. And love makes you do. Foolish things”
Of the song Varela says
“’Foolish Things’ is about that destructive relationship, that crazy love that you can feel for someone that nearly destroys you. I experienced a relationship like that that devastated me to the point of a complete nervous breakdown and a failed attempt to end my life. The abrupt ending of the song reflects the moment in which I cracked.”
The song has a woozy, off kilter theme throughout putting you straight into the writer’s head space. This is a where superb songwriting meets an arranger who knows exactly how to extract the most emotion from each and every note.
The album closes out with the meditative ‘Surrender’. This improvised piece, set against a series of loops and bass, feels like the warm embrace of goodbye, for now. Certainly not final but the closing of a chapter. It’s the perfect end to this album.
An album of songs this definitely is. You may enjoy dipping in and out to savour your favourite tracks however, if you will accept my counsel, this is an album made to be listened start to finish. It’s an experience and one that rewards repeat listens. Varela bares her soul to us, trusting the listener with her very heart. In doing so she allows us to join her and her band mates, collaborators and friends on a journey of self-discovery. I wonder what you’ll find.
What Remains is released via Hogar Records on 3rd June. You can grab a copy on 180g translucent red vinyl, CD and digital. Head over to Bandcamp or, if you’re in the UK you can grab a physical copy from Plastic Head Megastore.
UK-based producer/musician Jamie Duddy has been quite prolific of late. You’ll remember I covered his Asleep EP back in January. That was a woozy, dreamy trip of an EP leaning heavily into shoegaze and dreampop. Now he’s back with a new single and a whole new vibe too. I was really keen to hear the results so let’s dive in.
Immediately in the introduction to ‘Sometimes’ you know this is a different type of Dreamback song. Whilst retaining that dreamy drone behind the song the first thing that strikes you is, this is a pop hit! It’s sugary, and addictive and most importantly, it’s an ear worm. It’s also a true duet from start to finish with the vocals of Duddy’s wife, Laura Beth, adding her sparkle to the mix.
There was a feel of latter-day Primitives about the production I really liked. It’s a very summery track, buoyant and uplifting belying the darker subject matter of the song (liars and sunburn).
Make no mistake this is drastic change in direction for Dreamback, but one that has paid off in spades. If Duddy decides that this is the path he’ll be taking Dreamback in I’m sure the Top 40 beckons!
Perpetual Void is a shoegaze/dream pop band creating ethereal, emotive soundscapes. Originating from Glasgow, Scotland, the band solely consists of Scottish songwriter and guitarist Graeme Gray. I first encountered Gray back in 2020 when he released his debut single now the lead track on this album. I remember being struck at the time by the ambition shown and was keen to hear more. Two years later here we are with his debut album The White Room. Let’s dive in and see what delights are in store.
As I said the album kicks off with his debut single “The Sea”. It’s a richly textured, reverb-soaked wash of bliss. The programmed drums, reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, sit behind the simply stunning guitars and Graeme’s impassioned vocals. Melancholic yet hopeful, sounds evoke pain and struggle while the lush reverberating guitar invites the listener inwards, leaving them with a sincere sense of optimism.
We next relax into ‘Dream’, aptly named as its warm, inviting soundscape evokes that moment of deep sleep where you dream your most vivid dreams. I would urge you to close your eyes to fully soak this one in.
The second single, ‘Trapped’, follows and brings some gorgeous chiming guitars to the mix. They punctuate Gray’s ambient vocals restlessly. At around the halfway mark we start to hear more layers of sound building to crescendo which crashes like waves on the shore and ebbs away.
‘Icicles’ is a true ambient piece, evoking a frozen landscape, jagged and unforgiving. You can almost feel the wind on your face. Gray is a master at creating moods and pictures using his music.
Speaking of which ‘Everyway’ whilst starting sombre and quiet soon blossoms into this joyous noise. I just got lost in this track and I found myself skipping back and listening a few times to its hypnotic charms.
‘Climb’ taps into that Slowdive, atmospheric sound. Expansive guitars play off a steady and steadfast drum beat before evolving into the soundtrack for your favourite sci fi movie. The transition is fleeting and we return to the peaceful sound of the intro again. Just a beautiful track.
‘Awaken’ arrives with its joyful sunrise. The guitars feel like the warmth of the sun’s rays on your face. The first rays as you pull back the curtains on a summer’s morning. Gray taps into your imaginations at every turn leaving you with a smile a mile wide.
The wonderfully titled ‘Cloud Paddling’ is the sound of the air. Light and ever moving the track carries us high into the heavens to live among the clouds, if only for a few minutes. This is the very definition of ethereal.
The next track is titled with my favourite word. ‘Hope’ is a warmly subtle tone poem. As it chords slowly cycle Gray introduces more and more heavenly textures. He never loses that relaxing dreamlike quality, just enough to delight your ears.
The album closes out on the epic ‘FND’. Clocking in at nearly ten minutes it’s an adventurous composition, unnerving at times and comforting at others. Surrendering to the journey is the only way. Enjoy its many surprises, twists and turns. What a gloriously heady way to end this collection of ambient odysseys.
If you are looking for music to calm your soul and lift your spirits look no further. In The White Room Perpetual Void have created another world. A world where you are safe and alone but never lonely. A place where you can be yourself and explore your own mind. Gray seems to accomplish this with consummate ease, so what are you waiting for. The White Room is waiting, the doors open.
Head on over to Bandcamp to grab your copy of the album now.
Back in August 2020 when I started Static Sounds Club, the first band I wrote about were Par Ásito who come from Guadalajara, Mexico They combined space rock, post rock, shoegaze and a passion for space exploration into something quite unique for their album Singularity. I love that album to this day and so you imagine how happy I was to hear from Fabriccio De la Mora from the band about his new solo album.
Grand Unified Theories is De la Mora’s first solo effort. Of the album he says…
“These compositions are characterized by the spatial noise extracted from Par Ásito, with conceptual and structural details typical of my interest in astrophysics, the search for the theory of everything and its possible tonal implications.”
Now that’s what you call an intro. Let’s get into this album and see what’s what.
The opener ‘Causal Fermion Systems’ is named for an approach to describe fundamental physics. It’s a pacy and spacey ride through the cosmos. The drums lead the way with a steady pounding whilst a sci-fi keyboard motif picks out the gaps. Soon they are joined by edgy guitars providing a satisfying foil to the drum’s rhythm. The wonderfully off kilter lead guitar line completes the soundscape and we are off and running. This is exactly what I was hoping to hear.
‘Technicolor Models’ takes the pace and volume way down and presents us with something quite different. It’s a gentle float through the universe observing the sound and listening to the song of suns and stars. A gently picked and muted guitar plays a beautiful lullaby as the various whirrs, bloops and bleeps pass our field of hearing. This is a very relaxing experience and one I will enjoy time and time again.
We are back up to pace for ‘String Theory’. Sounding like the theme tune for a lost sixties sci-fi serial TV programme this track opens with an air of familiarity. Fans of Singularity will adore this one, with its groovy aesthetic and fresh take on space rock. It’s what I’d call a palette cleanser of a track. Really fresh sounding, I can imagine a sea of bodies dancing along to this at live shows.
At the midway point we are introduced to ‘Little Higgs’. This is a brutalist sound experiment. A heavily compressed guitar struggles to be heard through the sonic void and collapses over its own event horizon.
We head into heavy psyche territory next with ‘M-Theory’. De la Mora’s obsession with physics manifests again, the title a unifying theory in that world. This is a glorious wig out jam that transports us away on the tail of a comet, blasting through the cosmos. I love how nimble the drums are on this track. They really take the opportunity to fill every corner of the song right up until the last note.
We stay in the physics class for ‘Loop Quantum Gravity’. This is a theory that postulates that space and time are composed of finite loops all woven together. The intro has us leaping from loop to loop as the song seeks to find its feet. It isn’t long before we find our way in. Two guitars, one chiming, the other featuring the heaviest, scuzziest fuzz ever play off each other. Meanwhile the drums are off playing the most complex time signature ever, almost like jazz but good. This is such a treat, there’s so much to explore and revisit on this track.
We close out the album with ‘Causal Dynamical Triangulation’. No surprises that this is another approach that attempts to show how the spacetime fabric itself evolves. Another spacey jam with the catchiest riff being played out over his signature interstellar hyperspace soundtrack.
All I can picture when I listen to the music of Fabriccio De la Mora is barrelling through the galaxies in a rocket ship. It’s a real skill to be able to paint such vivid pictures in your listeners imaginations. For De la Mora it appears to occur so very free and easy. That’s something I really admire.
Grand Unified Theories is available now over at Bandcamp and all good streaming sites.
This week I was on the hunt for some new tunes when into my inbox dropped Josh Calisti with news of the release of his band’s new maxi single. Hailing from Olympia, Washington Waves Crashing are a post wave / shoegaze quartet featuring the aforementioned Calisti (guitar, vocals), Bryce Albright (drums), Luke Ogden (bass, backing vocals) and Landon Young (lead guitar).
The band have released a number of singles over the last two years to much critical acclaim, my DKFM sister Krissy Vanderwoude has also played them on her show. So, with that pedigree I just had to dive in.
The high / low maxi single kicks off with the title track. There’s a real Bossanova era Pixies vibe about this track. Off kilter chords with a gentle vocal performance exploding into sublime instrumental passages. It’s a great taster for what’s to come.
‘in my head’ comes in next on a powerful uppercut of an intro. Drums pound while guitars soar and fill your ears with the most stunning soundscapes. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between the chorus and verses.
The single concludes with a reworking of a track from 2020. ‘Capsized (reimagined)’ is a song painted on a big canvas, proper widescreen music. Built on a foundation of a purring fuzzed out guitar the song plays with some glorious textures. Glacial lead guitar, haunting backing vocals, pulsing bass and it all comes together beautifully.
The single high / low is available now over on the groups Bandcamp page. While you’re there check out their extensive back catalogue.
Static Sounds Club 