Powerful song, Faultress! You have an awesome soul!

I believe every single word sung with such ... sneaking up .?. intensity and ... swirl.

"Mock Deer follows up his 2020 debut The Art of Loneliness this Spring with a new standalone single: Let the Cold Light In.

Trapped in London by a global pandemic and unable to fulfil the touring schedule booked to promote the record, a return to the studio seemed the only way to maintain the hard-won creative momentum of the project (The Art of Loneliness followed a 4-year hiatus for Mock Deer). The result – a deeply reflective 3.5 minutes of melancholic alt-rock – showcases the expansive style of a mature Mock Deer.

Where early releases followed perhaps more expected stylistic paths in Americana and alt-folk, the album – and this new single in particular – attest to an artist not only familiar with their medium but steeped in its literature. Subtly layered with electronics and samples, the textures of the song remind us of John Grant or Nick Cave.

Maturity is on the cards lyrically too: “Pass the oils that will rouse my fire within/Hand the key, unlock my stiffening limbs” he sings as he faces the physical changes of ageing through the distorting microscope of confinement and comes up proud. The song invites us to question the increasingly accepted idea that we should never be any less than “okay”.

We feel the weight of elemental forces on both singer and writer, as a vocal that sounds close to defeat at times sings “Cloud formations command the open country, like a master of emotional sensation and a tyrant of disaster”. It isn’t hard to read a parallel with the pandemic that has done its best to lay us all low, but it would be a mistake to assume the subject is so specific. What Mock Deer really hits us with here is the way so many of the things we feel are particular to the now have been with us all along".  - Folklore

Let the Cold Light In

Let the cold light in.

Slowly, slowly does it.
I need time to separate my head 
My heart 
Controls it
and I feel
I am prone to overfeeling
But please understand how long I spent so tired of living

But these are only emotions
And none of them matter

I'm well aware that I can be intense at the corner of my eye I see you are rolling yours.
I'm well aware that I can be intense at the back of my mind I can see you are changing yours.

Slowly, slowly does it.
I need time to separate my head 
My heart 
Controls it
(Burns it to the ground)
And I think
I am prone to overthinking
But please understand how long I spent so tired of living

Cause it is all an Illusion
And none of it matters

I'm well aware that I can be intense at the corner of my eye I see you are rolling yours.
I'm well aware that I can be intense at the back of my mind I can see you are changing yours.

Illusions (Radio Edit)

Heterogaster

Obsidian

Smile & Wave

Total Bike Forever is an adventure from London to Tokyo by bicycle in search for the golden muse and a quest to make electronic music with the people we met along the way. 

This track features recordings from a group of traditional musicians at the university of Kyushu in Fukuoka (Japan) as well as a choir in Kathmandu (Nepal).

Chris Leon (Fresh On The Net): 
"Kyushu is a proper deep house track filled with oriental sounds and flutes. The title of the track exposes the influences and place where it was created. The flute sounds and layered, wordless voices remind me of pictures of Japanese gardens, which must be a very special experience to walk trough. I can’t wait to hear more songs of their journey."

Lulibo Makoboka (Stereofox)
"One of the aspects which caught my attention is the fact that Total Bike Forever's "Kyushu" beautifully blurs the lines of genre by virtue of the various sounds incorporated in here. The journey like progression also provides the track with a distinctive personal touch.

If you enjoyed the works on Bonobo's Migration album, this is for you!"

Kyushu

After first introducing himself to us with his beautifully composed debut EP ‘You Give’ in 2015, Theo Bard has spent the intervening years pushing his music further into electronic realms than ever before. Inspired by a new generation of songwriters augmenting their music with electronic sounds, he has developed a unique voice as both producer and songwriter and has returned to reveal his new brand of dark, experimental pop. 

With a thunderous opening, new single ‘Forget’ is a haunting exploration of lost love that demonstrates Bard’s artistic prowess. Eerie synths and melancholic lyrics portray a sentiment that seethes with sincerity. Though distorted vocals are often devoid of expression, Bard injects them with the depth of emotion you’d expect from a song that laments the realisation that an ex has well and truly moved on. The processed effects only work to heighten the track’s unnerving atmosphere and perfectly complement the experimental instrumental. The sonic space that would typically be occupied by traditional snares and drums is filled with inventive alternatives (sampled from ice and snow), making Bard’s creative intention clear as every element of ‘Forget’ strives to standout. 

Elaborating on his new release, he explains, “‘Forget’ is a dark, raw confessional about a traumatic experience. I was still in love with my ex-girlfriend when a big group of our friends were going away on holiday together. I wanted to be part of it. She was going to be there with her new man, but I didn't want to miss out and anyway, there were lots of other people I could hang out with. I could give them a wide berth and it would be fine, right? One night I woke to the unmistakable sound of their voices coming through the wall. I tried to cover my ears, wanting more than anything to 'unhear' the sound, but it was too late. Completely upset and spun out, I left the next morning, returning to London as fast as I could. All I wanted was to forget what I'd heard and what it meant. At the time, I was pushing my music in the direction of a new sound, telling people my new music was 'melancholic electronic' and I realised how perfect the story was for the new vibe. Once I had the concept of the song in my head it came out so easily.”

More from Theo Bard
Official webpage: www.theobard.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5agEEmWLm4t3O6Ra6pkMm6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theobardmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theobard/

Inkus

Forget

Theo Bard - Forget

Music + lyrics by Laurence Nightingayle + Kid Jupiter.
Produced by Tom Ford.
Photo credit: Amber Muir.

LYRICS
I miss my corkscrew hair
To be honest I know there are things more worth noticing
But I still liked it when it was there

It's down to our genetics, that are tricky to control
And it's clinically poetic, unsympathetic to the foal
There are studies made on hormones
And amino acids placid to the core
But I won't read them any more

I miss my corkscrew hair
To be honest I know there are things more worth noticing
But I still liked it when it was there

It's easy to dilute me
Don't think I'm not acutely aware that I've not moved in several hours
It's easy to dispute me
Don't think I'm not acutely aware that I've not stirred in several hours
It's easy to dilute me
Don't think I'm not acutely aware that I've not moved in several hours
I miss my corkscrew hair
To be honest I know there are things more worth noticing
But I still liked it when it was there

It's easy to dilute me (It's easy to dilute me)
Don't think I'm not acutely aware that I've not moved in several hours
It's easy to dispute me (It's easy to dispute me)
Don't think I'm not acutely aware that I've not stirred in several hours

KID JUPITER - Corkscrew

Music + lyrics by Laurence Nightingayle + Kid Jupiter.
Produced by Tom Ford. Photo by Amber Muir.

Lyrics:

I had seven things to do today
But I had to do them all at the same time
So tiny wires that burn like fires
They pin me down to my bed
And I watch myself making rhymes

Everyone looks good in a pinstripe suit
But everyone can't wear one all at the same time
So some wear suits and some suit suits
And some suit skirts instead
And instead we practice drawing straight lines

Working man has a working plan
No moments wasted, no Peter Pan
He's working overtime
Working man has a working plan
No moments wasted, no time to scan
He's working overtime

I had seven things to do today
But I had to do them

KID JUPITER - Overtime

This song is from our debut EP The Golden Mantis. It's about finding the right leaders.

The Golden Mantis

Poor Man

I cultivated strength in baritone
To scare off anyone around my home
And I chose this life to be alone.
Alone
I’ll choose to live forever more.

I shun those showing love til no one calls, 
Unfeathered and unshrouded I am small.
I made a secret home from leaves, and all
I ever wanted was to leave them all.

I watch the humans lit in silhouette -
The electronic lights and warming beds -
And I will one day go from here 
And they will never know that I was there.

I’m independent 
Solitary
Free

FAULTRESS /fɒltrəs/ n. a female criminal (1838) 
NOCTURNES OUT NOW
Stream here: https://songwhip.com/faultress/nocturnes

Illusions (Radio Edit)

Faultress

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