Hidden Shoal News
Debut Otinget Single (Feat. Reine Fiske of Dungen)
On their debut release, The Greatest Thing That Never Happened… Yet, Swedish trio Otinget deliver a mesmerising suite of songs, blending delicate folk, strident post-rock, lilting Americana and brooding slowcore – plus a special guest appearance by Dungen lead guitarist Reine Fiske. The single is available for streaming via SoundCloud and the album will see release on the 17th of September 2021. The music of Otinget is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
On title track and first single, Fiske helps build the song from its gentle rollicking intro to its feverish conclusion. Opener ‘The Sea’ weaves mesmerising, spidery guitar lines before the bassline references the Hendrix classic ‘Hey Joe’. ‘The Vagabond’ manages to seamlessly fuse math-rock guitar lines with a bluesy swagger, highlighting both the band’s songwriting smarts and their formidable ability as performers. ‘But Something Came Over Me’ is a brooding slice of atmospheric pop, building up and falling away in equal measures over its runtime. And the album closes with ‘Further’, a majestic re-working of a song by one of Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s other projects, The Slanted City.
“delights at every turn… an unfailingly tuneful and entertaining whole that transcends its techniques through sheer musicality” – Music is Good on Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s album Recollage
Otinget was born in an abandoned industrial building on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, where Victor Alneng (Infra) and Tomas Eriksson (Magnolia, My Brother the Wind) made music in various, shifting constellations. Erik Nilsson (The Slanted City), acquainted with Alneng from their university days, joined on guitar and later vocals, and together they discovered a synergy worth exploring further: the interplay between Eriksson’s imaginative drumming, Alneng’s melodic bass playing and Nilsson’s fingerstyle guitar. On their debut album Otinget are joined on a couple of tracks by Reine Fiske (Dungen) and Mathias Danielsson (My Brother the Wind).
New Single from The World of Dust Forthcoming Album
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the first single from True Sound, the new album from The World of Dust, the musical project of Stefan Breuer, featuring Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices, Robert Pollard, Circus Devils). The single is available to stream on SoundCloud and the album will see release on the 10th of September 2021 through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. The music of The World of Dust is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web etc).
In some ways a concept album, True Sound charts a very personal exploration of the life and death of Stefan Breuer’s grandparents. The unique overarching narrative that plays out with each song, and the warmth of the delivery, unites the album into a moving and consistent whole. As with The World of Dust’s acclaimed previous album, Samsara, the instrumental elements on True Sound were created by Todd Tobias, who sent them to Breuer to write and sing the lyrics. Tobias’s wonderfully melodic compositions call to mind his work with Robert Pollard, creating a haunting marriage when combined with Breuer’s pure vocal tones, reminiscent of The White Birch’s Ola Flottum.
The mesmerising, drumless opening track ‘Sailing’ introduces Breuer’s grandfather, Jan (whose personal effects are on display in the Museum of Vlaardingen), over insistent, metallic guitar and burbling modulation. First single ‘Goodbye’ has a charming, wistful sway and gorgeous vocal harmonies, which belie its sobering story of Jan’s battle with cancer. Jan’s first wife, who passed away during childbirth, is commemorated on ‘Petronella’s Death’, with its elegant, descending guitar figures. And Breuer’s grandmother is touchingly memorialised on the elegant tempo shift and eerie arpeggios of ‘Nel’s Passing’. Ultimately, True Sound is testament to the liberation that comes from letting go.
“Its power lies in the intimacy… without drowning in desolate melancholy” – hifi.nl
Liminal Drifter ‘Lured by the Lounge’ – New Single!
Following on from recent single ‘Child’s Play’ and his amazing run in the U.S. college radio charts (#1 chill record of 2020!), Liminal Drifter presents his new single, ‘Lured by the Lounge’. Blending the louche, sax-driven swagger of latter-day Roxy Music with the thick bass textures of The Orb, ‘Lured by the Lounge’ is a sophisticated, nocturnal slice of ‘90s-indebted electronica. The track is lifted from Liminal Drifter’s forthcoming EP, due out later in the year.
“As the introspective electronica plays us out, it’s not hard to imagine a utopia being enveloped by the soothing and thoughtful sounds of Liminal Drifter.” – Xpress Mag on Connected
Download via Bandcamp, stream via Spotify and the rest. The music of Liminal Drifter is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web games etc). Check here for more details.
Moonchy & Tobias “Venus Mirror” EP Out Now!
We’re proud to announce the release of Venus Mirror, the sublime new EP from Moonchy & Tobias. The EP is available now through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. Head to Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and the rest to soak in this beautiful release.
Venus Mirror is a buoyant follow-up to the brooding, nocturnal atmospheres of the duo’s 2020 release Moonchy & Tobias III, the luminous, soothing Venus Mirror is infused with an almost tropical sway. On ‘Specchio Di Venere’, Tobias’ modulated synth, tuned percussion and acoustic guitar paint a widescreen scene, over which Moonchy’s vocal traces a mesmerizing wordless melody. On the other six tracks, Moonchy sings both in her native Italian and in ancient Latin, her voice soaring and graceful in turns. In the single ‘Delibo,’ the warm major sevenths of jazz are chilled by a shivering wind. ‘Leniter’ brings the EP to a fittingly ambiguous close, setting the listener adrift on see-sawing, reverb-drenched piano lines.
The music of Moonchy & Tobias is available for licensing for film, tv, web and beyond via Hidden Shoal.
New Moonchy & Tobias Single, EP in June
We’re excited to announce the release of ‘Delibo, the new single from the forthcoming Moonchy & Tobias EP, Venus Mirror. The single is available now to download via Bandcamp and stream via SoundCloud ahead of the EP release on 5th June through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. ‘Delibo’ is also accompanied by a beautiful music video from Pat Moonchy.
Venus Mirror is a buoyant follow-up to the brooding, nocturnal atmospheres of the duo’s 2020 release Moonchy & Tobias III, the luminous, soothing Venus Mirror is infused with an almost tropical sway. On ‘Specchio Di Venere’, Tobias’ modulated synth, tuned percussion and acoustic guitar paint a widescreen scene, over which Moonchy’s vocal traces a mesmerizing wordless melody. On the other six tracks, Moonchy sings both in her native Italian and in ancient Latin, her voice soaring and graceful in turns. In the single ‘Delibo,’ the warm major sevenths of jazz are chilled by a shivering wind. ‘Leniter’ brings the EP to a fittingly ambiguous close, setting the listener adrift on see-sawing, reverb-drenched piano lines.
The music of Moonchy & Tobias is available for licensing for film, tv, web and beyond via Hidden Shoal.
Memorybell “No Anchor” Out Now
Hidden Shoal is excited to present No Anchor, the beautiful new album from Memorybell. The album is available on CD (ships mid-May) and in digital formats via Bandcamp, stream via Spotify and is also available from all good online stores. The music of Memorybell is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
On No Anchor, Grant Hazard Outerbridge expands the scope of his ambient work, crafting three long-form drone pieces that together comprise nearly 80 minutes of music. The core sounds for the album were recorded in late 2019 while Outerbridge’s studio was under construction, then developed during the pandemic to incorporate complex signal processing and layers of his core instrument, the piano.
No Anchor fades into view with the gently rushing ‘Beneath a Soft Clearing’, which evokes the feeling of travelling at speed while insulated from turbulence. The noise of the waking world encroaches more boldly in ‘Soon to Wake’, as surface static begins to crackle and hum. Then, on the monumental 42-minute title track, all terrestrial points of focus begin to fade, as a deep soundscape stretches to the horizon. The resulting album feels like a waking dream, a tactile, shimmering, gorgeously immersive experience.
“Essential to anyone searching for an aural retreat from an over-compressed world of packaged sound… Highly recommended for fans of solo piano and intersected genres, where Brian Eno meets Satie.” – Headphone Commute on Obsolete
Memorybell is the ambient project of Grant Hazard Outerbridge. From 2003 to 2008, he played bass, keys, and occasionally sang in the band The Very Hush Hush. In 2010, under the name Grant Hazard, Outerbridge self-released Genus Euphony, a solo effort of classical piano infused with subtle electronics. In February 2014, Outerbridge awoke in a hospital with no memory of how he had arrived. He was diagnosed with transient global amnesia. When he returned to the piano, Outerbridge found his previous compositions sounded garish, so he pared them down to their essence and, along with new, more spacious material, constructed the debut Memorybell release, Obsolete. This was followed in 2020 by Solace, a meditation on nature and stillness that prominently features modular synthesizer. No Anchor is his third Memorybell release.
Liminal Drifter ‘Child’s Play’ – New Single!
After owning the US College radio Chill charts last year (number 1 Chill record of the year!), Liminal Drifter is back with a stunning new single. ‘Child’s Play’ is a deceptively emotive slice of chilltronica, drawing on some of the dub vibes of last year’s Connected, whilst wrapping the whole thing in a blanket of ethereal nostalgia. It’s hard not to be swept into its warmth and glow over the near 6 minute journey. The track is accompanied by more gorgeous artwork from Stuart Medley.
The single is available now from Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and the other usual suspects. ‘Child’s Play’ is the title track from Liminal Drifter’s forthcoming EP, due out later in 2021.
The music of Liminal Drifter is available for licensing (film, tv, games, web) through Hidden Shoal.
Battlestations “Splinters, Vol. I: Tremor” Out Now
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce that Battlestations epic new release Splinters, Vol. I: Tremor is out now. The album is available exclusively via Bandcamp. The music of Battlestations is available for licensing (film, tv, games, web) through Hidden Shoal.
While previous Battlestations releases tend to paint bold strokes of instrumental colour, with dramatic dynamics and dense textures, Tremor is an altogether airier, more elusive listening experience, as if encountering a ghost perpetually melting into the distance. Across these 43 cinematic minutes, ambient recordings, organ and strings muster a feeling of suspension and subtle foreboding, as if sensing a tragedy distant in space or time.
Willem Gator “Fragments Vol. 1” EP Out Now!
Hidden Shoal is excited to announce the release of Fragments Vol. 1, the new EP from Italian electronic producer Willem Gator. The EP is available now via Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and most other online stores. The music of Willem Gator is available for licensing (film, tv, web and more) via Hidden Shoal.
On his new EP as Willem Gator, Giuseppe Musmeci juxtaposes the glimmering tones of Asian stringed instruments against haunting vocal samples, shimmering guitar loops and pounding drum refrains. ‘Fall of Saigon’, ‘Voice of Korea’ and ‘Korean Shaman Exorcist’ all employ these instrumental ingredients to mesmerising effect. At the EP’s heart lies the glowering, reflective ‘Noodles Western’, built around piano, synth strings and pattering cymbals. Closing track ‘Pina’ sees Musmeci’s role in post-rock band HC-B brought to the fore, with drums that would sit right at home on instrumental hip-hop, offset by spiralling instrumental textures.
“an eclectic album of epic melancholic electronica, poised between post rock and clubbing sonority, full of dreamy musical constructions” – Wicked Style on Locked-In Syndrome
Willem Gator is Giuseppe Musmeci, self-taught composer, guitarist, electronic musician and member of the Italian post-rock outfit HC-B. Musmeci’s rich background in electronic music production and keen sense of texture sees him creating highly distinctive music. Willem Gator has performed throughout Europe, sharing the stage with musicians such as FM Einhet (Einsturzende Neubauten), Flying Luttenbachers, Unsane, DJ Spooky, Pansonic, Nobokazu Takemura, U-Cef, Battles and Art Brut.
Summon the Birds ‘Losing My Religion’ (R.E.M. Cover)
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the release of ‘Losing My Religion’ by Melbourne band Summon the Birds, an expansive interpretation of the R.E.M. classic with an accompanying animated video by Finnish illustrator Antti Palosaari. The track is available to stream on Spotify and SoundCloud and can be downloaded from all good online stores.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since R.E.M. released ‘Losing My Religion’. In that time, dozens of artists have covered the song, but most have focused on a straight rendition with the iconic mandolin riff intact. On their ambitious reinterpretation, Summon the Birds take another tack, stripping out the mandolin, shifting the song’s key centre, and splitting it into three distinct sections, complete with a ripping fuzz-guitar solo. The song has been brought to life visually with an atmospheric animated video created by Finnish illustrator Antti Palosaari.
“Radiohead are a clear marker here… They create their own rich universe with narrative character and personality in abundance” – [sic] Magazine on single ‘London Tap Water
Summon the Birds began in 2007, when singer-songwriter Jonathan Shaw and bassist/producer Peter Woodlands came together to begin working on debut album 48. The duo were soon joined by Kris Arrowsmith on drums, and Tim Clarke (Bury the Sound) on guitar. 48 was released in 2012, followed by single ‘Digger’ in 2013. In 2014, bassist Drew Corby replaced original member Peter Woodlands, and the recording of second album Blood Love began in earnest, bolstered by fifth member Paul Spurling on keyboards. Producer and engineer Tim Johnston (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Dandy Warhols, The Drones) oversaw the sessions and lent his golden ears to the mixes, and the album was mastered by John Ruberto (Courtney Barnett, The Drones, Electric Mary). The band are currently working on songs for their third album.