RECORDED BY FELIX MUELLER
MIXED & MASTERED BY AUSTIN BROWN

DOWN

Taken from the 12"/digital EP "The Next LIfe"
Out now on Slumberland Records/Tough Love Records.

limited edition white vinyl 12": http://smarturl.it/gntnl-vinyl
expanded digital edition from iTunes: http://smarturl.it/gntnl-itunes

Belfast four-piece Girls Names released their critically acclaimed second album, "The New Life," in February and it marked a new direction for the band altogether. That directional shift is emphasized even further by a new limited edition 12" EP, entitled The Next Life.

With the artwork making a playful nod to Bowie's latest record, it's not surprising that the EP should see the band experiment with the sonic make up of their last album. Leading is "Visions," a spooked tune from the album sessions, seeing wide release here for the first time. Also of note is a cover version of Brian Eno's 'Third Uncle.' Recorded in August of this year, it is the first recorded Girls Names track to feature new drummer Gib Cassidy and offers a telling glimpse at what creative steps the band may next take.

Following are a series incredible remixes of tracks taken from the sister record. The first is by producer/composer/dance don legend David Holmes, who lends a somewhat European elan to the titular track. The second sees Gabe Gurnsey from Factory Floor add his band's characteristic dance floor focus to Girls Names' motorik groove, turning in something that jitters and pulses in a manner befitting of any track attributed the Factory Floor moniker. JD Twitch from the Optimo DJ/production team turns in a suitably grooving take on "The New Life," while Locust/Seefeel/Black Hearted Brother member Mark Van Hoen strips down and tracks out "Drawing Lines." The EP wraps up with a spectral take on "Occultation" by bedroom psych/ambient genius The Soft Walls.

All in all, it's an enlightening series of interpretations that sheds new light on Girls Names source material and points way to new avenues of exploration.

Fever

Evy Indigo

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