Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are really starting to see the impact of Covid on music. That is, the impact of Covid on individual artists creative output rather than the economic impact of Covid on musicians.
While there have been songs, and albums, recorded and released during the early days of lockdown that directly or indirectly acknowledge the events we are living through (Charli XCX's How I'm Feeling Now album most famously, less famously Kali Uchis 'i want war (BUT I NEED PEACE)') what we're seeing now is something different: More considered works that either directly reference the pandemic lyrically or else have been impacted sonically by its restrictions. Last months Florence + The Machine album is a case in point and Harkin's second album, Honeymoon Suite, is another example of an album whose sonic palette has been defined by the pandemic.
Recorded and self produced during lockdown, Honeymoon Suite (the title refers to the Sheffield flat Katie Harkin and her partner Kate Leah Hewett moved into upon returning to the UK during the early days of Covid) has a more electronic sound than its self titled predecessor. Because it was recorded in a flat over a pub, with Harkin's wife (Hewett and Harkin married in Eyam in September 2020) working call centre shifts from home, the various instruments and vocals were recorded according to noise levels outside and inside the flat. The overall feel of the album is of a very precise, lovingly crafted sonic soundscape fuelled by introspection. The result is sparse but vivid, evocative and moving.
Opening track, and first single, 'Body Clock' is a surging slice of electro pop which makes the most of its shimmering keyboard sound and urgent lyrics ("C'mon, c'mon" and "Closed mouths don't get fed") to create a sense of solitude and introspection where, when everything stops "it's just you and your body clock".
It is followed by second single 'A New Day', a guitar led piece which has the sunny optimism of artists such as Mary Lou Lord or Tancred. There are string flourishes which work well to add shade and texture when set against the drums and guitar as Harkin sings "She tastes like a new day".
The similarly evocative '(Give Me) The Streets Of Leeds' combines a sense of wistfulness for the past with surging piano, beats and melodic guitar. It is a song that clearly means business and it should, by rights, be a future single. Sonically, it builds on the work Harkin has done with Sleater-Kinney and complicates the anthemic indie rock sound of the piece with glitchy effects, giving it a scuffed indie disco feel that is very appealing.
This sense of glitchy experimentation can also be heard on 'To Make Her Smile', which begins slowly with minimalistic drums and a vocal loop that maintains "I feel as though you're in this time" and "I'm seeing through your eyes." The bpm increases significantly very quickly before slowing again and gentle minimalistic piano is introduced. It feels as though she is trying to write a love song but, having got underway, decided to have some fun and experiment.
Electro inspired minimalism is a feature of the album as a whole, with album closer 'Driving down a flight of stairs' being a particular exemplar of this. It's an instrumental synth dominated piece that sounds like a soundtrack to someone peacefully drowning in a lake. 'Matchless Lightning', by comparison, feels like a slower, less hook-y take on Everything But The Girl's 'Hatfield 1980.' It is marked by a gentle throbbing pulse of a beat and sense of disquiet. There's a strong sense of self doubt and introspection, as though Harkin is looking back on life in the Before Times while "building a reality from romance and utility". "Baby we're the skin on the milk? or the fly in the ointment?" she wonders, before concluding "I'm not so sure anymore". It's like her internal monologue has been set to music. The image of "A vending machine of sweet talk" particularly evocative.
The tender electro ballad 'Mt. Merino' is enhanced by clever use of reverb and distortion which form a nice contrast to the gorgeous piano lines further on into the track. "Do we really have to leave here?" Harkin wonders from the car on the way to the airport "On the sunniest day of the year?" while noting that "The ancient part of my mind says everything's fine."
'Listening Out' has a darker sound driven by strong synths. There are delicate piano runs and breathed backing vocals that add an eerie beauty to layers of sonic sound and she sings of having to "Reassemble my love" in a way that suggests a practical mood, rather than a purely sorrowful one.
'Talk Of The Town' is a sterner sounding piece, one that feels like a takedown. It is fast paced and intense. The scuffed beats contrast well with the lilting guitars and orchestral flourishes and there's a great synth dip in the middle of the track as well.
Third single 'Here Again' makes interesting use of brass and glockenspiel while creating an understated indie anthem that makes good use of hypnotic layered vocals and crisp guitar.
Harkin has shown considerable grit and determination in making this mesmerising album, and it's really paid off for her because while it showcases her skills as a songwriter it also showcases (perhaps accidentally) her skills as a producer. There are no notes out of place here, what we have instead is a crisp indie synth pop album which experiments with sound in a fun and pleasing way. It should both noted and enjoyed.
Honeymoon Suite is released on Friday 17th June on Hand Mirror
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