Returning with their latest single is Greenock’s rock supremo’s The Method One. ‘A Life Obscene’ is the latest in a series of tracks the lads have been teasing us with ahead of a much-anticipated album release.
The band formed from the ashes of Glasgow outfit Dresden features Dave Mac (Vocals), Robert McGovern (Guitar), Gary Foley (Guitar), Dodge (Bass), and John McLelland (Drums). The sharper eyed among you will recognise Robert from his days playing alongside Primal Screams Jim Beattie in Spirea X.
The Method One are renowned for their incendiary live shows. It’s great that they pull no punches on record too.
True to form this song comes straight out the gate ten feet tall and taking no prisoners. All pounding drums and wall of sound guitars. The production is expansive bringing to mind the Morning Glory era of Oasis.
There is a nice contrast between some really ominous rhythm guitars and the chiming lead parts. The rumbling rhythm section is solid and, at times, steps front and centre. I particularly love when that’s happening with the drums.
Singer, Dave Mac, glues it all together with his assured delivery. He is on top form in the latter half of the song especially, as it all comes to a climax.
Putting it all together you have a pretty special track. With an album in the pipeline it won’t be long before The Method One will be playing in arenas. You heard it here first!
Dream pop is such a vibrant and vital genre. There is no more vital member of that scene than CASTLEBEAT, the lo-fi project of first gen Spanish-Korean-American Josh Hwang, also founder of the record label Spirit Goth. He has a unique DIY, lo-fi approach to recording. His self-titled debut was recorded at home in his garage yet sounds yet has the production values of any high-end studio recording. That first album is a regular on my turntable. There is not one bad track on it. Then came the follow up VHS in 2018. Josh himself considers this a direct continuation of his debut. For me it is a shade darker and denser in production but just as engaging and enjoyable.
Now CASTLEBEAT returns with a new album. On Melodrama Hwang is looking to broaden his musical palette. Drawing from his dream pop roots he reaches out into synthwave, hip hop, jangle pop and more whilst maintaining his lo-fi credentials by continuing to record at home.
The album opens on a slow burning instrumental. ‘Beam’ sets the mood for the album. Straight away you can tell this album is going to different to VHS or his debut. The synth is so well formed and defined. The beats divine, lead us into ‘Summertime’. The first word that comes to mind when describing this song is romantic when in actual fact it’s anything but. The lyrics deal with the break up of a relationship “Taking the time. Keep it together. Feeling inside. How to forget her.” Bleak though the lyrics are, the tune is so warm and lustrous. You can almost visualise the heat haze rising from the sidewalks.
On ‘TI-83’ we are in classic CASTLEBEAT territory. Dreamy and woozy vocals over an synth and drum machine backing. I’m sure I had a TI-83 calculator when I was in school. The reference being to the key lyric “Recalculate my brain. I just don’t think the same. Like I did before”. There is a real high school theme starting to emerge.
As if to confirm my suspicions next up is ‘80’s High School’ featuring the most synth heavy production on the album. Josh was deliberately trying to move away from that guitar centric approach with this album and nowhere else on the album is that more evident than on this song. This is a risky move for him but for me it pays off. I really took to the track on first listen. The song has this easy strut to it. Paced to perfection with glorious vocals.
As if to throw us completely ‘Shoulder’ opens with sound of lo-fi guitar which breaks into a jangly almost Cure sounding riff. The golden tones of Sonia Gadhia do the heavy lifting on the track elevating this song into the clouds. The chorus is ridiculously catchy, I have been whistling it for days now. I can see this getting heavy airtime. Their voices are a perfect match.
More guitar features on ‘Who You Are’ and again a wonderfully simplistic guitar line dominates this track. There is some thing unerringly charming about his choice of guitar parts. None of them fight for your attention within the song. They are there to service the sog and compliment and augment the vocals especially. This new approach to his music is really agreeing with Hwang. I can just imagine him smiling ear to ear whilst performing this one.
‘Next Time’ brings the pace right back down again and we are back in synth heaven. Sounding like it has been recorded using an eighties Casio keyboard it feels really authentic to the decade. Whilst it is undeniably retro there is an unmistakable CASTLEBEAT stamp on show.
Tapping into the Stranger Things fervour has proved successful for a number of modern dream pop acts and on ‘Part’ Hwang throws his hat and heart into the ring. This is widescreen songwriting at its best. The song delivers a cinematic experience start to finish as well as chorus which delivers the deep emotional impact of any of your favourite soundtracks.
‘Worries’ has back on guitar again but not as you’d expect it. The guitar itself is warped out of shape under the weight of multiple effects while a chiming synth taps out a simplistic melody. This song feels like a song The Cardigans would sound great recording.
This takes us into the title track. With ‘Melodrama’ Hwang is seeing just how far he can push the eighties motif. The answer is probably a wee bit too far but the vibe is rescued with a glorious Cure like guitar line which brings us back to the present.
The album closes with Hwang lamenting the ache of long-distance relationships on ‘East Coast’. “Is it any wonder. Why it gets so cold. I’m leaving here without you. I’m on the east coast”. The song reclaims the synth production that worked so well earlier on the album and provides a fitting end to this eighties fuelled odyssey.
Whilst I wouldn’t say this album is as good as his previous works it’s because it stands alone. I love how he has taken risk after risk on this record and I applaud how successful he has been. I will undoubtedly revisit this album again. It has a sunny summer evening feel that will warm up the coming winter nights.
It only seems like yesterday we were here discussing the last release from our friends at Dirty Filthy Records, the immense Depopulation from Acid Roulette. Yet here we are with another exciting release in the inbox. This time it comes from Greek psych rockers Psychedelic Trips To Death and their sophomore release The Resistor. The boys at the label have described it as “Beautifully relentless tension. From the metronomic palpitations of the opening bars, through the threat of the vocals to the determined bass lines, this record owes as much to the subcutaneous, frenetic and paranoid soundscape of the 1980’s as it does to modern psychedelia. If dystopian literature was a voice, this would be it.” I don’t know about you but that makes me want to dive right in.
And dive in we do with the title track. ‘The Resistor’ swings from pulsing, tension filled verses into a technicolour explosion of textures and sounds. This is a statement of intent from the band. It’s dark, brutal and gargantuan.
That theme carries into the robotic swagger of ‘Headlock’. Guitars flash like strobes as the bass rumbles like thunder beneath the primal scream of singer Konstantinos Iosifidis. Accompanied by a very clever promo video this track encapsulates everything this album is about. The darkness being pierced by flashes of terrifying light.
The tension is turned up to eleven on the next track ‘Sending Flowers To The Ignorant’. Led by an ascending bassline that teases a resolution and release that only comes in the last minute of this sprawling six-minute epic. This is edge of your seat stuff
‘Burn Your Eyes’ maintains the ominous vibes but this time the addition of an eerie synth line brings an extra sinister dimension. This track brought to mind some of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie’s darkest moments but amplified and twisted almost beyond recognition.
We take our foot off the gas for a moment for the intro to ‘For The Sake Of Our Song’. Thig s get all chaotic soon enough and we descend into the murky depths of the song. Thankfully we are saved by an exultant vocal line and sparkly guitar from Panos Anastasiadis.
The closing track is curiously entitled ‘The Crate’. It could very well soundtrack the darkest horror movie such is its emotive feel and scope. At nearly ten minutes in length it encompasses a number of different musical themes and motifs. Because of this and the ever evolving, shape shifting nature of the track your attention is held rapt.
This is an album of epic proportions. Each track is monumental in its own right. Every member of the band knows the part they play in this and they execute it to perfection. Drop the needle on this one at your own peril. For here there be monsters.
The Resistor is available to buy from Dirty Filthy Records on ‘Reign in Blood Transparent Coloured Vinyl.’ Word to the wise, this one is limited to 250 copies and is likely to go fast so I wouldn’t hang about if you want in.
When I started Static Sounds Club one of the first bands I featured was New York’s Laveda. I had been enthralled with their performance on the most recent DKFM Global DreamGaze event where they performed a stunning version of their album track ‘Blue Beach’.
Now they release the latest single from their stunning debut album What Happens After.
‘Better Now’ is a stand out track from the album. A driving drum machine carries angelic vocals from Ali Genevich countered by Jake Brooks heavily effected vocals in the chorus. The guitars sound amazing on this track switching from glossy chiming parts to the shimmering fuzz of the outro.
The track is accompanied by a fabulous video which you can check out below! Featuring Ali in rolling countryside and Jake underwater it matches the mood and vibe of the song perfectly.
This has truly been Laveda’s year. It has been a joy to watch them release this music out into the world and for the world to be so emphatically positive about it. Mark my words, 2021 will be their year!
It was with great excitement that I opened an email from Nottingham shoegazers, Spotlight Kid, this week. I am so happy to announce that they are back with a new single “Roller State Disco” and really exciting news about a new EP.
The band are releasing their first new music in a year and the first long player since the release of their exceptional third album, Ten Thousand Hours, in 2014. That album was a game changer for me and shepherded me back to the shoegaze scene.
If you are new to the band then imagine a blend of My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Slowdive. You’ll be somewhere close then!
At the beginning of last year, Spotlight Kid took a hiatus following a sold-out return show in their hometown, Nottingham. Since then, the band have been involved in several side projects and are now back writing together. The band have written over a dozen new tracks that will be spilt across two EPs and released on Bandcamp early next year.
The first track to be released from is “Roller State Disco”. The track opens with a quintessentially Spotlight Kid intro. Shimmering guitars with Katty Heaths breathy oohs sounding that almost sampled and looped way. This track is gloriously upbeat and optimistic which given the inspiration for the video makes for a pretty stark contrast. The video is inspired by a short film directed by Alan Clarke (Scum, The Firm, Made in Britain). The unemployed spend their days at the Roller State Disco, circling round and round, before being called up to take low-paid jobs as they become available. They leave the building in a wash of light, leaving the rest confined to a grim, graffiti-strewn state-run roller disco where they have to remain until they find a meaningless job that no-one wants.
This track will make you yearn for the summer to be back again so you too can get out on your roller skates. Although I’m not sure my skating skills are quite up there with Kattys.
“Roller State Disco” is the lead track from a forthcoming EP available to stream on all platforms and available to buy on the Spotlight Kid Bandcamp page from the 4th of December.
Earlier this year I received one of the most beautifully packaged records I have in my collection, containing music to match the beauty of its sleeve. That record was Heart & Soul by The Churchill Garden. Andi Jossi is the one-man musical machine behind The Churchill Garden, playing all the instruments on the record. He has been recording now for a decade from his home in Switzerland. Whilst he has worked with a few vocalists in those years none have sang on as many of his songs as Krissy Vanderwoude has. Her stunning voice and lyrics grace many of the tracks on Heart & Soul and now on their latest release, ‘Reality’.
Starting off with in an up-tempo groove with the jangliest guitars ever bringing to mind The Primitives. Alongside this is a bass and counter guitar line with a Cocteau Twins vibe. When we hit the chorus the drums double time and it really lifts the song, and the listener, in the most ecstatic way.
If you have listened to any of The Churchill Gardens previous work or indeed Whimsical you will know the calibre of Krissy’s vocal talents. I love how she holds herself back a bit on the verses here and then gives it everything on the choruses. I think this is the nimblest Krissy vocal I’ve heard yet.
Clocking in at just shy of four minutes this is one of The Churchill Gardens shortest tracks. Whilst it may be shorter than usual you certainly aren’t being short changed. Listen how Andy builds that trademark wall of sound, that distinctive blend of guitars that form his unique stamp. Enjoy how Krissy layers her vocals steadily until that final chorus.
In these winter months we all need a pick me up. In ‘Reality’ I think I may have found mine.
It’s very rare that I get the opportunity to cover an iconic release by an equally iconic act. I was over the moon to be sent on Death of A Lover’s Song from Welsh psychedelic shoe-gazers, The Voices. Death of A Lover’s Song was the band’s third album which was released on CD only back in 2009. I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy of their previous album The Sound of Young America and was blown away so I couldn’t wait to get this in my ears.
Now, on the eve of it’s triumphant release, for the first time on vinyl, it’s time to dive in and explore this album’s sonic landscape.
The opening track is called ‘The Setup’ and does a great job of easing us into the album. Sparse instrumentation and breathy vocals coast along until the announcement comes. “Ladies and gentlemen. We are all part of the setup”. What follows is a stunning use of crescendo that Mogwai would love to have written.
The discordant intro to ‘Silver Queen’ has massive Sonic Youth vibes. Then after about two minutes the song suddenly pivots into this heavy shoegaze dream trip. This is vital, engaging listening. It demands your attention. Through the walls of fuzz and feedback there is a glorious melody. Shimmering in the distance as the song fizzles out.
Channelling the spirit of Jason Pierce next on the psyche wig out that is ‘Savant’. Riffing around a single droned note this song has the groove of a jam session that has taken off and is currently orbiting Saturn. The coolest of all the planets!
The curiously titled ‘Flames versus the seventh art’ is up next and does a great job of bringing the listener up to date with what The Voices do best. Ridiculously catchy songs with beautifully textured soundscapes to lose yourself in.
One thing that I really appreciate is when a band take their time and really think out the track list for their albums. What song sounds best in what part of the album. With ‘La Guerra’ following here you can tell the band have thought this order through. The flow between the two is seamless and might have been nice to segue them. That said, the song is dynamite as a stand alone and maintains that wall of noise versus irresistible melody that The Voices do so well.
Just when you think you have this album all sussed out, they hit you with ‘Tempt Your Eyes’. Synth driven; moody riffs abound as we see another side of the band. This song suddenly opens up into widescreen. It has real space and is so different to what precedes it. I smiled the whole way through this track the first time I heard it. Its hypnotising stuff.
As if to further surprise we get ‘West Coast Turnaround’ next. Another glorious melting pot of discordant guitar with spacey synths and lots and lots of room. That is until we enter the final two minutes. The band then intricately layer up everything in their sonic arsenal. Sometimes this can lead to a bit of a cacophony and not be pleasant to listen to. But not here. There is real clarity between all you are hearing at any given moment. The production on this track is exceptional for that reason among all the others.
There’s something about ‘Arrivistes’ that brings Radiohead to mind. It has this interstellar space rock riff underpinning the whole thing which had my head nodding along, eyes shut just soaking it up. There’s something unsettling about the overlapping vocals. Its almost like his inner monologue is trying to take over. The song has genuine threat and menace but you revel in it.
The pace drops slightly has we enter the behemoth that is ‘When the Black Sun Sets’. Featuring, for the first time on this album, a rock ‘n’ roll lead guitar. Like a mashup between The Stooges or MC5 and an event horizon The Voices are not taking prisoners here. This song is massive, not only in run time but in scope. It hits you in waves, ever building. I guarantee, like me, you will hit play again as soon as it fades out.
The album closes with ’Superpowers’. An acid squelchy synth over some broadcast quality recordings leads us into the song and sits beneath some really quite sedate vocals. The contrast between the frantic backing and the chilled-out vocals works beautifully. The Voices surprising the listener once again with yet another sonic palate. It’s almost in EDM territory until the fuzz driven guitars return at one point.
This album is quite the accomplishment and shows a band unafraid of experimentation. I lost count of how many times this album surprised me, made sit up and take notice or just made me smile from ear to ear at the ingenuity of it all. If you like music that just gives and gives then this album is for you. Repeated listens will reveal more and more to you. That. to me, is the sign of greatness.
Death of A Lover’s Song is available for download now from the bands Bandcamp page and right now the good folks at Drone Rock Records have a very limited run of this album for order on two vinyl variants.
Back in the pre Covid days of 2019 I was enthralled by the fifth album by German dream pop/punk outfit Fir Cone Children. Fog Surrounds Us has an eclectic catch all approach to songwriting that multi-instrumentalist Alexander Donat is renowned for. Like a magpie, he cherry picks all that is positive and life affirming and weaves it together into something quite magical. Imagine my delight when Alexander reached out to me and asked if I would like to premiere a key track from his up coming sixth album Waterslide at 7am. If you missed that blog you can find it here as we delve in to the amazing ‘Soaking In’.
Waterslide at 7am opens on the fizzy rush of ‘Panic in the Mansion’. As an allegory for the times we find ourselves in, the board game inspired lyrics couldn’t be more on the nose. There is something unsettling about this song whilst maintaining an almost jubilant thrall over the listener.
Next up is our premiere track from the weekend, ‘Soaking In’. After a solid week listening to this album ‘Soaking In’ remains my album highlight. See what I mean here.
‘How to Make a Paper Airplane’ finds Alex in an instructional mood, literally singing us the steps to making a paper aeroplane Channelling the spirit of Mark E Smith there are no prisoners taken in this onslaught. Repeated listens reveal a glorious melody holding the whole song together. Ghostly voices reminiscent of Blurs ‘Song 2’ or ‘Popscene’ make this song a favourite of mine.
‘Entangled’ is a post punk track but gloriously naïve and playful. It feels like Alex is having a lot of fun jumping between rhythms and tempos. Singing about his daughter playing with “three balls of wool” among the trees whilst “eating cheese slices” he continues his theme of dedicating his albums to his kids. That love is evident in every second of this song.
Krissy Vanderwoude returns to sing on ‘Gekko-19’ a contemplation on the life of an allegorical pet in a glass cage. Again, Alex’s voice pairs beautifully with Krissy’s leading to some breath-taking moments. One almost Beach Boys-esque moment really jumped out at me and will do for you too. It’s a slow burner of a track blossoming in the final minute. This is a song I will definitely find myself returning to.
‘Everyday is a Flood’ is Alex in full magpie mode. Underneath the wash of reverb lies a C-86 style track akin to Orange Juice or very early Aztec Camera. Then he sprinkles his magic dust over the top and this song becomes something really unique and very Fir Cone Children. The overwhelming nature of life is hyperreal at the moment as we live in lockdown. This song encapsulates that feeling so well.
Arriving on a sneak attack intro “When This Is Over” reminds me of Arcade Fire if they were a shoegaze band. This track dips in and out, returning more full on than it was before. Lyrically heart-breaking the song deals with a child’s view of this pandemic and their desire for it to all be over and back to normal, whatever normal was.
As if to counter the fear and worry of ‘When This Is Over’ we launch into ‘Max & Hax’ with a euphoric Whoo! A song based on a story Alex’s seven-year-old daughter wrote about two eagles called Max and Hax. The song has a childlike glee as it romps on. With flourishes that The Polyphonic Spree would be proud of the song is a real pick me up.
This magical thinking is carried into ‘Future Pirates’. Channelling his inner Graham Coxon, Alex moves at breakneck speed through a trip out paddling on the water in the “raft mom talked about the other day”. Maintaining humour whilst having riffs that rock as hard as this is a fine balancing act which he pulls off with ease. We go along for the ride and are so much happier for doing so.
From the euphoric to the grief of a child at the loss of their pet. ‘Furball Sun’ tackles this subject with care and love in each note. When Alex sings “Run Stella Run” you can’t help but get choked up. His choice of chords and melody at that point are so on the money it hurts.
Any parent can tell you about that moment in the middle of the night when your child wanders into your bedroom, maybe with a bad dream. In ‘A Tiny Crack’ Alex makes use of really dreamy chords to make us feel as woozy as that tired parent carrying their tiny charge back to their bed. The closing section had me paying very close attention. The complexity mirrored some of Radiohead’s’ finest moments around the In Rainbows period.
We close out the album on the allegorical title track. This track is absolutely bonkers and is the perfect way to finish. About a time when Alex’s daughter performed a song, she wrote with her dad, for a video clip that was made for a popular holiday parks brand in Europe. They had to meet at 7 A.M. in a waterpark before it officially opened to the visitors and she was overwhelmed by the situation. Alex takes that feeling and turns it into music. You can feel the elation, confusion and excitement in this song.
What listening to Waterslide at 7am has shown me is Alexander Donat is a master at observational song writing. He takes day to day situations, finds the spark, the magic in them and spins a song so beautiful from it you would never know where the inspiration came from. For me that is something to shout about. There are few acts that can do this to the level shown on Fir Cone Children albums. Add to this the fact that he plays all of the instruments himself and you have one exceptional musician at the top of his game.
Waterslide at 7am is available from the Fir Cone Children Bandcamp page now.
Static Sounds Club is incredibly proud to be sharing the latest track from Fir Cone Children, ‘Soaking In’, for three reasons.
Firstly, Fir Cone Children have consistently produced albums of the highest quality, none more so than their last full-length release Fog Surrounds Us. Secondly, this track features my very dear friend and DKFM sister Krissy Vanderwoude on guest vocals and, last but not least, this is the first premiere to feature on Static Sounds Club. All these things together make me very excited to hear this new track.
Before I hit play, I asked Alexander Donat, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, what ‘Soaking In’ was about
Alex said “Leaving kindergarten and attending school is one of the major changes in life for everybody. In first grade my first daughter was soaking in everything that teachers told her (especially learning how to read and write), what books had to offer and what classmates were showing her. Also, she is a very social and kind person who instinctively knew how to handle stressful situations: “I say hello, I say good-bye, I know the proper way to avoid a fight, with a smile I enter, with a smile I leave, you are best friends to me”. It’s lovely to see how she gets along with people around her.”
I then asked him, on this song you once again collaborate with Krissy Vanderwoude of Whimsical and The Churchill Garden. Tell us a bit about how that came about?
“I am super happy that, even though she always has a tight schedule, Krissy Vanderwoude found the time to record vocals for two of the album’s twelve songs, ‘Gekko-19’ and this one, ‘Soaking In’. Since album number three, No Gravity Girls in 2017, her vocals have constantly been a part of every Fir Cone Children album. So far you can hear her on 13 songs spread across four albums. Krissy fits in so naturally that I consider her to be the secret second band member of FCC. I love how she adds vocal harmonies to the songs I send her, harmonies that I didn’t think of, so she really adds to the overall feeling. Hopefully, this partnership will keep on going.
So here it is folks. The world premiere of the new track from Fir Cone Children, ‘Soaking In’.
This is an incredibly catchy riff-based number. The discordant chorus is so addictive. I had said to Krissy this was so different to anything I’ve ever heard her do before. I’ve been trying to rack my brains why that is. I think it’s the harmony line she has chosen to follow that gives this song a unique flavour. Alex and Krissy sound fantastic when singing together and Alex makes the most of that here.
We need to talk about the riff. Like Pavement meets Urusei Yatsura pushed along by the rimshots on the drums, its utterly captivating. I love how the guitar moves around the vocal line. Never mimicking anything else on the track. The end section has a one two punch Bis would kill for. All in all, Fir Cone Children have come out swinging. Let us know what you think of the track in the comments below or on our social media.
Stay tuned to Static Sounds Club as I will be bringing you my track by track analysis of the new Fir Cone Children LP Waterslide at 7am later this week. Until then why not check out the bands amazing back catalogue on their Bandcamp page.
Wisconsin-bred and Chicago-based band Slow Pulp – Emily Massey (vocals/guitar), Alexander Leeds (bass), Theodore Mathews (drums), and Henry Stoehr (guitar) – have just released their self-produced debut album, Moveys, out into the world.Having heard a track from the album on DKFM Shoegaze Radio late one night I knew I had to investigate. It’s an album borne from the times we are living in. Recorded from locked down homes across the states, it creates a sense of warmth and togetherness which draws you in like an open fire.
The album opens on a glorious picked acoustic guitar and Emily’s lilting voice. ‘New Horse’ is a perfect introduction to this record. Its both light and dark, weightless and heavy. When the counter vocal line and fuzzed out bass kick in the song takes us away. In my head somewhere snow covered and remote.
All too soon the song is over and we are in to the intro to ‘Trade It’.
There’s a Big Thief meets Soccer Mommy vibe to this song. It moves along with a knowing swagger. This has the sound of a songwriter who has worked and honed every line to a keen edge. The song slowly builds as we go with an insistent drumbeat working hand in hand with the bass to carry us to the final word.
This leads us neatly into ‘Idaho’, the most claustrophobic of all the tracks on the album. It feels like we are trapped in Emily’s thoughts as she wrestles with her demons seeking some sort of self-belief. “I’m losing all the while” she sings as if resigned to her fate.
The track I heard on DKFM Shoegaze Radio is next and it is actually called ‘Track’. This feels like some great lost nineties’ slacker classic. I love how the band play with dynamics bringing instruments in and out, creating space then filling it again keeping us on our toes. It’s no wonder it caught my ear.
The grungy and punchy thrash of ‘At it Again’ keeps us in nineties’ territory. This is another two minute song like, the gorgeous opener, ‘New Horse’ but it feels just right. The guitars mellow as Emily’s voice soften towards the end bringing the song to neat close.
‘Channel 2’ features Alexander on vocal duty delivering a study in shoegaze whilst Henrys guitar whirls in a J Mascis like chaotic cascade. I can see this track getting a lot of airplay. A great chorus coupled with killer guitar is always a recipe for success.
The pace and tone changes completely with the instrumental ‘Whispers (In the Outfield)’. The track is so unlike anything else on the album yet it’s right at home and feels wholly natural as a stepping stone to the next song.
‘Falling Apart’ is a ballad sung by Emily to Emily. Couched in wonderfully chilled instrumentation we find her berating herself “Why don’t you go back to falling apart. You were so good at that.” The band giving her space to weave her magic amongst the slippery drums and elastic bass. We also hear a rueful violin trading lines making the song complete. This is really special songwriting.
In a similar vein, ‘Montana’ takes us on a tour of Emily’s’ inner voice. The self-doubt and critical introspection weigh heavy over this song. Emily says of the track, “This song is about moving beyond defining myself in terms of my mental health. I’ve been working through this over the last couple of years and this song is a reflection of this process and where I am now. ‘Montana’ was the first song we finished recording for the album. Henry’s early demo was kind of heavy and distorted, and when we went to play it together for the first time, it came out a lot slower and cleaner. Our friend Willie Christianson wrote and recorded the slide guitar and harmonica parts.”
‘Montana’ feels like a natural close for the album but then, right out of leftfield, comes ‘Movey’. A sample filled funky instrumental jam to lighten the mood and remind us it’s all going to be ok.
Slow Pulp have delivered a breath-taking debut album against all odds. The band have seen more than their fair share of struggles yet have chosen not to be buried by them but to embrace them and turn them into something truly beautiful and life affirming. If that isn’t a lesson for all of us, I don’t know what is.
Moveys is available from all good independent record shops on a few cool coloured variants. The album is also out to buy from the Slow Pulp Bandcamp page.
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