Petrels

from 'Mima' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den194
available on all formats at [http://denovali.com/petrels]

MIMA is the third album on Denovali Records from London-based musician Oliver Barrett - aka PETRELS. Following on from the highly praised Petrels debut Haeligewielle ("Petrels has provided us with what has to be the strongest solo debut from a musician so far in 2011." - Fluid Radio) and second album Onkalo ("A calm, thoughtful place in the centre of a universe tearing itself apart." - Muzik Dizcovery) Mima is a further development and distillation of the distinctive sonic palette and inquisitive approach that have come to characterise Petrels so far.

Named after the semi-mystical automaton from Harry Martinson's long-form sci-fi poem 'Aniara', Mima builds on the retro-futuristic themes of Onkalo and delves deeper into ideas that lie between the twin poles of faith and uncertainty. A deep interest in mythology, and the part it plays in human development, has been a fundamental part of previous Petrels releases and Mima serves to take this interest further, asking; What place does myth have in our future understanding if we seek to claim the answers to every question? And what myths could we seek to build for ourselves in the future? Drawing inspiration from sources as wide-ranging as the Space Race, Angela Carter, early Cosmology, M. John Harrison, witchcraft, Iain M. Banks Culture novels, and the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Mima is another immersive sonic landscape from Petrels - more interested in posing questions than providing easy answers.

Since releasing Haeligewielle in 2011, Petrels has toured across Europe and shared a stage with the likes of Tim Hecker, FIRE!, Nate Young (Wolf Eyes), Trouble Books, Fennesz, Nadja, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster).  Having also collaborated with and provided remixes for artists as varied as Duane Pitre, Brassica, Talvihorros and Max Cooper, Petrels' output is proving to be thrillingly eclectic and unpredictable.

Petrels - A Carapace For Carter's Snort

from 'Flailing Tomb' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den232
available on all formats at [http://denovali.com/petrels]

Flailing Tomb

Petrels - Orpheus

Petrels - We Are Falling Into The Heart Of The Sun

From the Petrels album, ‘Flailing Tomb’ (Denovali Records, 2015)

https://petrels.bandcamp.com/album/flailing-tomb

PETRELS – L. CAUTION parts 1, 2 & 3

from 'Jörð' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den266
available on all formats at [http://denovali.com/petrels]

Following on from 2015's Flailing Tomb LP, which appeared in numerous 'best of the year' lists, Petrels – the solo project of London-based musician and illustrator, Oliver Barrett – returns with new album, Jörð.

From the ethereal choral build of 'A Little Dust' (adapted from words by W. B. Yeats), to the euphoric aural scree of 'The Last Shard Falls', and the driving, long-form song structures, interwoven arrangements and mythological trappings of 'The Long Man', previous listeners of Barrett's work will find much to welcome in a record that builds on the distinctive, ecstatic Petrels sound.

Elsewhere, Barrett teases this sound into new shapes; 'Terra Nullius' takes an oscillating woodwind cluster and hangs from it a defiant and densely constructed (almost)pop song; 'Waldgeist' slowly unravels a deceptively simple string refrain in an elegiac and gently expanding, haunted pastoral arrangement; and 'Seithenyn Sleeps' encapsulates the joyously overwhelming live Petrels sound into a swirling, enveloping closer.

Drawing together the numerous strands of Petrels releases so far whilst confidently weaving them together into something new that promises even more to come, Jörð is another singular release from this restlessly inventive and inventively restless artist.

Since releasing his debut Haeligewielle in 2011, Petrels has toured across Europe and shared a stage with the likes of Tim Hecker, FIRE!, Nate Young (Wolf Eyes), Trouble Books, Demdike Stare, Nadja, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster). Having also collaborated with and provided remixes for artists as varied as Duane Pitre, Brassica, Talvihorros and Max Cooper, Petrels' output is proving to be thrillingly eclectic and unpredictable.

Jör_

Petrels - A Little Dust

from 'The Dusk Loom' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den320
available on all formats at https://denovali.com/petrels

Oliver Barrett returns with his first Petrels album in three years; The Dusk Loom. Having put out a steady album-a-year since 2011, culminating in 2016’s Jörð, Barrett decided to take a step back from the project for a while, not wanting to releasing albums out of habit and wanting to be sure that there was something new to say.

The result is at once the most expansive but also personal Petrels release to date. Three years in the making, The Dusk Loom builds on the eclectic sonic palette of Barrett’s back catalogue but brings these sounds into sharper focus than ever before. Those hoping for the all-enveloping dynamics and textures of past Petrels releases will not be disappointed, but over the ten parts of The Dusk Loom, Barrett puts this trademark euphoric aural scree to work in new and unexpected ways.

Drawing on myriad influences as fans of Barrett’s have come to expect, the resulting themes of the album are perhaps woven more intricately than before. In The Dusk Loom, Barrett takes an evocative approach to storytelling that asks the listener to draw their own meanings from the clues and references running through the sounds and words. Finding inspiration in mythology - both ancient and new, the work and writing of Remedios Varo and William Blake, memory, death and cosmology to name just a few, Barrett pulls these seemingly disparate strands together into something that is unmistakably Petrels but which also points the way to something new.

Petrels is the solo project of Somerset-based musician and artist, Oliver Barrett. Since releasing his debut, Haeligewielle, in 2011, Petrels has toured across Europe and shared a stage with the likes of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Tim Hecker, FIRE!, Nate Young (Wolf Eyes), Trouble Books, Demdike Stare, Nadja, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster).

“Petrels sidesteps the chilliness found in much of the music of his peers, replacing it instead with an almost spiritual ecstasy, his ravishing synths and almost choral vocal treatments calling out in cosmic, wide eyed wonder at the universe.” – Paul Margree, Louder Than War

The Dusk Loom

Petrels - Tiny Specks of Light

Petrels - Surface of Last Scattering

Petrels - Telos

Petrels - The Hermit King

From the album 'Haeligewielle' released on Denovali Records in 2012 (originally released on a limited run on Tartaruga Records in 2011).

Petrels - Canute

From the album 'Onkalo' (Denovali Records 2013)

Petrels - Hinkley Point Balloon Release

From 'All Things In Common' (originally released on tape by Patient Sounds before being re-issued by Denovali Records in 2012)

Petrels - Leonora Christine

Petrels - Characterisation Level

Petrels - White And Dodger Herald The Atomic Age

Quick, rough track put together on Korg Monotron, Microkorg, and bass with laptop mic and a bit of editing. Initially recorded it with the aim of re-recording it 'properly' later but never got round to it and I like something about the quality of this rough version anyhow.

Petrels - Mark Kaminsky's Hair

http://noisedollsmixtapes.bandcamp.com/album/noise-dolls-mixtape-003-2

Petrels

Floating Limb