Friday 5 May 2017

Single: HMS Morris - Morbid Mind / Arth

HMS Morris - Morbid Mind  Arth


HMS Morris - Morbid Mind

Info: HMS Morris are a Welsh Art-Pop group that delve into the wonky, odd-ball side of psychedelia, finding the balance between bold experimentalism without giving up accessibility. With an undercurrent of post-punk edginess, the group toy with colliding synthesisers and cooing vocals and still manage to create something cohesive and alluring (Clunk).

Released in November 2016, the band's debut album 'Interior Design' is 'a real trip, a multi- dimensional sound that  traipses across hitherto unexplored regions of sound' (Clash), and with an as yet untitled follow-up already in production, it seems the voyage is just getting started.

What a dazzling introduction to HMS Morris for me these two singles have been, 'Morbid Mind' has a disorientating crash, bang, whallop intro, it's off-beat and stop-start motion jerking the listener wildly back and forth. The percussion is slightly math-rock in its time signatures and the vocals are scorching, trying to put out a fire with petrol springs to mind, with the flames coming courtesy of the sharp and thin electric guitar solo towards the track's end. I also noted a small comparison to Dublin hard-rock trio Bitch Falcon on this one. 


HMS Morris - Arth

The contrast on the second A-Side, 'Arth' (Welsh for bear) is striking, a solid folk plank runs through the base of the track, there's a new age feel to the ambience the pair produce here, whilst at the same time feeling shorn from ancient landscapes. The vocals are beautiful and initially choral in nature before entering indie-rock territory, in a nutshell two very impressive tracks that would go down very well with Irish music fans without doubt, right, now I'm off to check out their last album.

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