Experimental musician Bride releases ‘Vessel‘, her debut EP for London label Most Dismal Swamp, after a string of self-released music on Bandcamp and a track for Australian platform Longform Editions.
Working field recordings and samples into greyscale shoegaze electronics through granular synthesis, Bride’s music carries a dark weight, but a relatable one, often considered synonymous with experimental electronics but frequently found lacking.
The four tracks on ‘Vessel‘ leer from the gloom of their own construction, bleary-eyed and unfocussed, with detail and purpose emerging unhurried and without predictable direction. At times, it feels like losing yourself in a quaint rural town, and at others, it feels like that town is Silent Hill.
On ‘Frozen Ballet‘, a white noise blizzard permeates the air, rising and falling in intensity, while warped cacophonous “drums” hammer in atonal infrequency, together ingraining an uncomfortable fear into the music. As it becomes almost too much, sampled strokes of a violin counterpoint the heady mix, grafting momentary glimpses of warmth onto an otherwise frigid scene.
Watch the video to ‘Frozen Ballet’ below, featuring artwork from Alexandra Koumantaki and made by Most Dismal Swamp’s curator.
‘Vessel’ is out now via Most Dismal Swamp. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Ochre
2. Frozen Ballet
3. Phantom
4. Beguiled