- Ray Philp recently pointed out an emergent "somnambulant streak" running through Larry McCarthy's productions as Bruce. On his first entry on Hemlock, the Bristolian disregards the fireworks of his previous efforts and dives into the realm of sleep. "Before You Sleep" is all insomniac anxiety, with a drum that replicates the sound of a heartbeat as felt from inside the skull in the wee hours of the night. McCarthy adds a lullaby-like series of keys and lets it bounce around in the headspace, but its pretense of calm is disrupted by all manner of small noises, reminiscent of how the slightest of irritants keeps one hopelessly awake.
"In Line" is the EP's most rhythmic track, with Bruce bandying chirps and thwacks around a hollow beat. Just as the track appears to be climbing upwards to a peak, McCarthy lets the beat stagger to a standstill. It then proceeds again, the track taking on a Sisyphean sense. "Sweat" returns us to a cramped, darkened bedroom, where the heartbeat of the first tune is replaced with a trickling pulse and tones that wiggle at the periphery. But those little rips soon widen to reveal a new hole in which to plunge us. While it retains its minimal sensibilities, "Sweat" grows more hallucinatory by the minute, an odd but satisfying conclusion.
TracklistA1 Before You Sleep
B1 In Line
B2 Sweat