I’m writing this postcard to you from my living room, headphones on and furiously devouring re-heated leek and potato soup, as I listen to William Doyle’s recent single ‘Now In Motion’ from his upcoming album Springs Eternal. This evening I was lucky enough to attend an industry listening event for the album ahead of it’s release this coming Friday, after putting a punt on a competition that was advertised a few days ago. As they say, you gotta be in it to win it. I met my +1 (and good pal) Jamie at Third Man Records in Soho ever so slightly too early, so we grabbed a cheeky half before being let into the event. After awkwardly standing around for a few minutes and drinking free Springs Eternal themed wine (Editor’s note: it was unfortunately quite bad), we were bundled into an extremely blue basement before the lights were dimmed and the record began.
I think the last time I sat down and fully absorbed a new album entirely by itself was (maybe slightly shamefully) back in 2016, when Radiohead released A Moon Shaped Pool; I have a vivid memory of sitting on my bed and getting full goose bumps when the orchestra comes in during the second half of ‘The Numbers’. In that regard, I definitely felt out of practise and in some ways slightly awkward about sitting in a room of strangers, just intently listening. But similarly to what I discussed last week, there was also a real joy in trying to really focus on hearing as much of the detail as possible. And oh boy, was there a lot of detail.
I’d listened to the various singles a fair amount already, so I was not going in blind; however, I can confirm they are not a good indication of the album as a whole. This is not the guitar-driven, straight forward art-rock record I was expecting. Instead, it’s a kaleidoscope of bombast, colour and genre that’s unafraid to frequently take sharp 90° turns between, or even within, songs. 60’s doo-wap, ambient electronica, LCD Soundsystem-esque bangers and acoustic ballardry are all covered here, washed in Will’s trademark stuttering electronics and lush production. There’s even a country inflected track in debt to Grandaddy, dubbed ‘Space Cowboy’ by his partner, which according to Will has finally found a home on this album after existing in one form or another for 11 years (I am very glad this is the case because I think it was favourite off the record). It is, by definition, a dense album, and one I cannot do justice to by writing about after only one listen. Just thinking about it now makes me excited about how much there is to dig into over the coming weeks, and I’m excited for you all to get to hear it soon too.
After the event we decamped to an old haunt nearby (shout out to the Duke of Argyll, best Sam Smiths in central London) to discuss the record, life, and, as to be expected, upcoming music more generally. As grim as this season is, music events to get excited about come thick and fast; February is a never ending stream of album, gig and festivals announcements to get you hyped for warmer times and depressed at your dwindling bank balance. As I write this, the End of the Road lineup is out in approximately 10 hours, which is essentially Christmas morning for adult Chris (EDIT: It’s now out and I can confirm that it is amazing. Yo La Tengo back to headline the Garden Stage? Yes please). I particularly love the speculation that naturally comes with these events, trying to squeeze potential news out of the smallest pieces of information. Joanna Newsom is playing a random festival in Salt Lake City? Does this mean a new album is finally coming?! Only time will tell. But frankly, the best part of it is discovering new shit.
In that vein, this week your postcard contains some tracks off projects which I’m excited to see come out in the next few months. I can’t quite remember how I was first introduced to Sam Evian (I think it was from one of the members of Fleet Foxes?), but I got hooked on his slightly scrappy 70’s inspired record You, Forever and in particular the scuzzed out rocker ‘Health Machine’. In keeping an eye on him since then it’s been interesting to see him pop up in unexpected places; in his career as a record producer he’s worked with Big Thief (knew I could squeeze in another reference to them this week) and also produced what I think is Courtney Marie Andrew’s best album of her career so far, the criminally underrated Loose Future. He’s now back into the spotlight with a new album out in March, lead by a fantastic new single, ‘Wild Days’. It manages to walk a clever tight rope by being both propulsive and light at the same time, buoyed by a hook that lands in your brain and gets thoroughly stuck there. I also love the economic bassline, which adds a lot of groove for very few notes. With a very different approach, Arushi Jain blew my mind this week with her new song ‘Imagine an Orchestra’, off her upcoming album Delight. Going by the handle modularprincess on instagram, Arushi merges traditional Indian classic music with modular synthesisers to astounding effect. Her new track incorporates a soaring flute line over skittering electronics that calls to mind a bustling, interwoven ecosystem. Headphones are a must for this song; the level of detail and the richness of sound is incredibly impressive, and deserves to be given appropriate attention. Finally, I must confess that outside of the track ‘Song for Zula’ I have historically not been much of a fan of Phosphorescent. I’ve found it hard to emotionally engage with the Nashville-based singers records, and so his work has mostly skipped me by. However, his new song ‘Revelator’ stopped my in my metaphorical tracks. It is plain and simply a gorgeous country song, and one of those songs that after one listen you could swear has been around your entire life without you realising. He’s due to play EOTR again this year, and I can safely say I am very much looking forward to hearing this song during his inevitable sunset slot, beer in hand and friends at my side.
Once again, I’ve included a link to the Tidal playlist here. I was also requested to add it to Apple Music, but I’ve discovered I need to sign up to a paid account to do so - apologies Cecily + her mum (and thanks for listening!). Also, if you’re interested in catching Will on tour, he’s playing around the UK in March. You can find the dates on his Bandcamp. Finally, this week I’ve also made sure to put the names and dates for the upcoming records associated with this playlist below. Thanks for tuning in again, and I hope you find something in your post today for you to get excited about in the coming months.
Postcard 04: 12/02/2024.
William Doyle - Now In Motion (Springs Eternal out 16/02)
Blue Bendy - Cloudy (So Medieval out 12/04)
Van Houten - Coming of Age (The Tallest Room out 22/03)
Sam Evian - Wild Days (Plunge out 22/03)
Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman - Right Back To It (Tiger Blood out 22/03)
Magic Tuber Stringband - Days of Longing (Needlefall out 22/03)
Arushi Jain - Imagine an Orchestra (Delight out 29/03)
Four Tet - Loved (Three out 15/03)
Grandaddy - Long as I’m Not the One (Blu Wav out 16/02)
Phosphorescent - Revelator (Revelator out 05/04)