In 2015 Grasscut, the Brighton-based duo of Emmy winning and BAFTA nominated electronic composer Andrew Phillips and manager/musician Marcus O’Dair, released Everyone Was a Bird, an album which wandered between eight locations that were important to the duo, and which came with an invitation to listeners to send voicemail messages sharing their own reflections on places of significance to them.
Six years later, Grasscut have unveiled a new mini-album, Haunts, created from six of these spoken word recordings, visiting locations from Brighton to the Firth of Forth, Surrey to East Lothian, each with its own distinct soundtrack capturing the essence of the speaker’s sense of place, whether that be through the delicate strains a septet of woodwind and strings or the resonant clang of designer Pedr Browne hitting a beached metal sea buoy on the Isle of Skye.
Today we’re delighted to bring you a first opportunity to see the video for ‘Inchkeith Island’, a day ahead of the album’s release on Lo Recordings. The video zooms right into to the grey pebbles and brown sand, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that matches the dreamy, wistful nature of the song.
Ask to describe the track, composer Andew Phillips said “The voice message featured on ‘Inchkeith Island’ is about an island (that isn’t an island) in the Firth of Forth, that the narrator, though living within sight of it, has never been to. Her dream is that “one day I’ll go there”, and feel “alive and connected”. The track starts with a solitary sea buoy being struck, her voice, and sparse piano; layers of synths, plucked strings and dulcitone are added to underscore the power and strength of her intention. It’s definitely one of my favourites on this record – a lesson to us all actually to go there. Wherever there is.“
Haunts will be released on 18th June via Lo Recordings – order on 10″ vinyl, CD or digital download through Bandcamp.
Find out more on Grasscut’s official website.
Article by Paul Maps
Photo by Pedr Browne
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