Earlham Mystics - Truth

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  • Luke Abbott last worked with Gold Panda's NOTOWN label in 2012. He turned a musical corner shortly after, and this debut under the Earlham Mystics name seems to be questioning that change of tack. It asks what might have happened if Abbott had taken the opposite turn: not towards 2014's austere, improvised Wysing Forest, but in a poppier direction. The Truth EP still plays out in a world familiar to Abbott fans—a sort of imagined Norfolk full of bleakness and beauty, most strongly evoked in the second half of the title track, where rich synth chords offer a blast of chilly grandeur. But mostly it hovers on the fringes of that terrain, where it borders on the electronica of Gold Panda, or the tuneful house of early '10s Four Tet. "Truth" is the most fully formed track, and it's got a gorgeous pop kick. "Fuck Hype" and "Stolen Hearts" are humbler versions of a similar idea: lilting house rhythm, sweet-sad melody, treated and looped vocals for a hint of computer soul. It's almost as if, following a string of bold and thoughtful projects under his birth name, Abbott is enjoying being unambitious. There's no harm in that, particularly when the results are as emotive as the closer, "Hera," an effervescent new age ode to Abbott's daughter.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Truth A2 Fuck Hype B1 Stolen Hearts B2 Hera
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