Rainbow Song

The Stranger

The Violet Hum is an indie-alternative musical chameleon which at its core revolves around the songwriting and production of multi-instrumentalist Matt Arthur (The Coo, The Arthur Brothers). 

In early 2020 Arthur bought an eclectic assortment of home studio essentials with the general idea that he might start to develop the skills to produce recordings for himself. When the first coronavirus lockdown hit the UK, he suddenly found himself at the edge of what seemed like an unlimited chasm of time. What should happen next seemed obvious, and before he knew where he was, he found himself fully submerged in the murky waters of DIY music production.

The experimentations lasted throughout that year and well into 2021, during which time Arthur found deep artistic satisfaction in the process of expressing himself in the purest sense, without the need for the compromises that naturally come with musical collaborations. He also, slowly, started to find his feet and eventually emerged with a sound and a direction that would become The Violet Hum’s first EP, ‘How To Swim’.

The Violet Hum sound, and the sound of ‘How To Swim’, has echoes of ‘The Bends’ era Radiohead, the drama of Peter Gabriel and the clear and haunting vocals of Neil Young and Kate Bush. The record is a dense, melodic and atmospheric journey from the depths of an unforgiving ocean to the sunlit warmth of a golden beach that resonates with hope and fear in equal measure.

Says Arthur, “I’m afraid the EP itself offers very little in terms of practical swimming advice. But, I’m proud of the songs anyway. I dedicate it to everyone who has ever felt ‘all at sea’, which to be fair is probably everyone these last few years”.

Insta: @theviolethum

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