When We Never is a power ambient project comprised of illustrator Christopher Cooper (Vocals / Photography / Artwork) and Alister Hill (Production / Photography / also of Lortica & Low Lux).

A study in observing hyper masculinity in Australia, When We Never’s audio component contains on-the-nose lyrics and celestial vocal melodies, embedded in a series of chopped ’n’ screwed patterns leaning beat-less. Initially conceived in a week of quick edits from a self-made ‘sample pack’ of trance a cappellas, off-cut stems and dead project ambience, Cooper’s single day of vocal takes were layered over seven months later.

Framing the sometimes abstract nature of the music, When We Never’s visual component is brutish; maintaining an amateur-like joy to the freedom both members felt in approaching the work. A frank depiction of male behaviour and activity, the audio-visual collection may be humorous, heartbreaking and infuriating at times, but specifically avoids irony in its portrayal of the chosen subject matter.

Are You Fine?

Punch Above Your Weight

Get Back On That Horse

Father's Son

Your Soul Lives on in the Deep Web is the first in a series reinterpreting songs featuring dogs as symbols. Utilising Cooper's a cappella rendition of the '56 Elvis Presley hit Hound Dog as a basis, When We Never dive deeper into the hazy sonics of their first project Dragon's Den (2016), while bringing a stronger focus to Cooper's natural croon and vocal manipulations. Turning a seemingly simple song into an uncomfortable – and at times violent – meditation on class, race, masculinity and fear, Your Soul... is built upon a Roland SH-101 improvisation and Hill's explorations and audio-based findings in the deep web. A two-part piece that initially twists in foreboding broken rhythms, Cooper's crooned malaise breaks into a euphoric final act that is intentionally conflicted in tone and message, asking the listener to examine the politics of sound and the society we live in.

Your Soul Live On In The Deep Web [Part II]

Your Soul Live On In The Deep Web [Part I]

Antipodean explorations in words, music, film, photography