Tag Archives: Electronic

BACKYARD RITUAL: Small World.

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Small World by Backyard Ritual was released last summer, and I’m a dummy for not writing about it sooner. Backyard Ritual is the project of Ian Campbell- the main songwriter of a band I’ve written about many times and love a hell of a lot- Pop.1280. Ian reached out to me about this record, and I genuinely never thought someone from a band I love so much would ever do that! The first person (and only besides this) I told was my uncle because he too, has an impeccable taste in music and is also a fan of Pop.1280. If anyone was going to know how big of a deal this was to me, it was him! Anyway, story out the way. Time for the music.

Small World is a tense and atmospheric record. It’ll keep you on edge but at times it will calm you down. I love how dark the record and how it feels it could easily have been used in an early John Carpenter film. There’s a lot to love and take in on this record, and I really appreciate how you can take in the minimalism approach on this record. Interboro reminds me of The Vacant Lots- there’s that New York feel to the record. I’ve said it before that some bands/artists make you really pick up on where they are from. You can really put a place to the music, and Backyard Ritual do this so well. You feel like you are scoping the alleys of New York late at night when you listen to this record, and you even get that when you listen to Pop.1280 but I’m not here to compare old bands to current.

The debut full length record is dark and eerie; the best records usually are. There are Industrial and Post-Punks influences on this record, and it doesn’t feel heavy. I know I mentioned above that you immediately feel you are in NYC when you listen to this record, but you still pick up on other feelings on this record. It’s perfect for if you are feeling lost and want to be found. There’s an urgency to it, and there are also slight laid-back moments too on this record. It’s a gorgeous Electronic record if you are in need of genres to be thrown around. But honestly? It goes beyond that. It’s a solid record. A really captivating debut record as Backyard Rituals, and there are moments on this record that are truly heavenly. For me, the gentleness in the middle of the record on Circumstance shows just how brilliant Ian is as a musician. The record does start powerful and it is then toned down here, and it then picks up. You don’t know how to feel, but you take it in any way because it’s such a big record. For me, I feel you could easily put your headphones on and soak up this record whilst wandering the street late at night or on the night bus to get you wherever you need to go. It’s a late-night record, and they are usually the best ones.

There’s something about this record that makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time but also stepped foot into the future with it. In its own effortlessly slick way- Small World is timeless. There are nods to Ian’s previous projects on this record, but there is also something brand new here. Something we’ve not heard before, and it truly comes to life on songs like Amateur Journalist and Proxy. At the moment, they are my two favourite songs but we know that the more I listen, the more likely I am to find a different song to love. In short, it’s a bloody remarkable record and one I am so glad I have been made aware of. Imagine going through life, and not knowing about this record?! How boring! How unfortunate!

If you love bands like Cold Cave, Harsh Symmetry, The Vacant Lots- then you’ll fall in love with this one. In just 9 songs, Backyard Ritual have created something really long-lasting and important. There’s urgency throughout this record and there’s so much to appreciate. I don’t think I’ve even touched the surface on describing how great it is, but hopefully if you listen to it too, you’ll hear it. You’ll pick up on how vital and slick this one is.

ZOLA JESUS: Lost

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That feeling when one of the singers you adore so much comes back with new music; there’s truly nothing quite like it. The first time I heard Zola Jesus, was actually the song she did as Nika + Rory. The song was I’m Not Going Anywhere. I played it almost religiously. I then heard Nika’s work as Zola Jesus when brought out The Spoils, and that was it. My obsession was blooming and I didn’t want it any other way.

There are a few bands/singers that just stick with you, and the any announcement of new music from them just immediately hits you right in the heart and you feel alive again. Since 2009 I’ve had this admiration and love for Nika and all she creates. I cannot think of anyone else who does what she does, who makes the sounds she does, who has a mind like hers. She’s the only one, and let’s be honest- there won’t ever be anyone else like her ever again. Her voice is so haunting and so comforting. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve bawled my eyes out to some of her songs, but my god there are songs that just give you this euphoric feeling and nothing can come close to it.

Lost is the new single, and is taken from Nika’s new record Arkhon which is out 20th May via one of the best labels ever- Sacred Bones. If you’re a fan of Nika/Zola Jesus, you know exactly what to expect but at the same time you are ready to be thrown into the deep unknown. Lost is such a beautiful and open song, and so easy to connect with. We all feel lost. Some of us feel it more than others, some of us are just constantly lost. For some, it may be all we know. But it’s a feeling that so many can connect with; and the way Nika writes about it here is just divine and right to the core.

The percussion, the sound of breathing (at the start- I think) it’s got this reassuring feel to it. The start sounds like a panic attack coming on (something I know far too well) but then everything calms down, and you are centred. Everything is okay, and you feel reassured again. There’s something about that chaotic feeling of being lost that allows you to just go at your own pace and eventually find what you need. I think that’s something we probably need to cling on to more than we care to admit.

The video for Lost is stunning. It will leave you breathless and just in awe of this magnificent creation. It sums up the feel of the song so well, and it is shot in the most gorgeous way imaginable. I don’t want to write too much about the video; I want you to take some time out of your day to watch the video. Maybe a couple of times in a row, and just take it all in. The song is a masterpiece and if the whole record has this feel to it, then I think we may have found the most beautifully put together record of the year.