ARTIST THINGS IN HERDS
ALBUM EVERYTHING HAS TO END SOMEWHERE
LABEL UNDECIDED RECORDS
Things In Herds are Brighton based Pete Lush and his associate, Miss Ping. Together they make music so delicate, beautiful and fragile that it should be enclosed in bubble wrap. Don’t be surprised if, while listening to it, you find yourself telling friends and strangers alike to ‘shhh!’ as you strain to pick out the understated harmonies.
Essentially this is a bedroom recording and production is sparse to say the least. Most tracks consist of Lush quietly finger-picking as an electric guitar low-down in the mix fills the resultant empty space. Pete’s voice quivers and shakes as he mumbles very sad songs very quietly. Yet it’s captivating. Feeling like you shouldn’t really be listening, Pete creates songs so personal and heartfelt that only a heart of stone could feel no empathy.
The limitations of low budget recordings surface mid-way through the album. As another song begins the same as the last, one yearns for some variety. But Lush is one step ahead of the game. ‘Like An Insect’, backed only by electronica reveals another side to Things In Herds before the whole album twists and turns in the final few tracks. Here Pete comes close to rocking out as electric guitars and even riffs rise up the mix. It feels like he’s breaking out from the claustrophobia of the first half of the album and telling it as it is.
It’s difficult to see how Things In Herds will progress on their first release signed to Scotland’s Fence Records. It could be more of the quiet first half or the more mainstream second. Whatever they decide, Everything Has To End Somewhere is a worthy investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment