Shakenstir » Low Island Debut Record

Low Island Debut Record

Low Island IF YOU COULD HAVE IT ALL AGAIN. Emotional Interference

Review

It doesn’t take long to notice what I thought was an intoxicating female vocal after a mesmerising electronic opening to ‘Hey Man’. But I then discovered the voice was from a male called Carlos Posada whose falsetto is extraordinary. That said, Posada also has a ‘more normal voice’ which is no less interesting. The strong melody, mix of electronic and real instrumental sounds, including relentless clipped keyboard notes, renders this one of the most interesting indie-pop-dance songs of the year so far. The drumming/percussion is also a strong feature with some superb improvised moments. Add truckloads of melody and superb production and I’m left wondering why this has not been selected as the first single off the record…

”What Do You Stand For’ adopts a much more rocky stance with an up-tempo pace and a dirtier sound, underpinned by a solid rhythmic dynamic. Again the drums lend a helping hand here to take up a few notches. ‘Don’t Let The Light In’ is another melodic feast anchored by more great percussion and keyboard magic. Lyrically, it’s simple but not emotionally deep: “Now we lie in each other’s arms/You are mine and I am yours/But what happens when we open our hearts?/Something irreconcilable…Time goes on and everything changes/Don’t let the light in/Hoping that it hasn’t faded/Don’t let the light in.”

‘In Your Arms’ opens with an ocean deep bass throb when, in sharp contrast, the vocal enters with notes varying from high to stratospheric. This is a dance number with elongated instrumental passages and arguably the strongest melody here. With the added harmonies I sense this is another potential single. ‘Feel Young Again’ is another sharp dance tune and sporting another fine drum display. The vocal hits the high spots again while lyrically it’s more complex and a tad cryptic: “Hide you in the back of my car/Hide you in the clothes that I wear/Hide you in the palm of my hand…It took a long time/It took a long drive/We were flashes under streetlights/Flashes under the streetlights.” This is apparently the first single but doesn’t approach the radio vibe of other songs here.

‘I Do It For You’ This will be a hit in dance circles but it’s clouded sound and lack of a melodic structure leaves me a little cold. Lyrically, it makes more sense: “We get drunk and talk about stuff/I don’t remember, but I think it was fun/Maybe once was more than enough/We both got time to kill and friends to ignore.” ‘Momentary’ up the game back up with its sharp pace, vocal harmonies, melody and yet another superb drum display. It also ups the adventure stakes which is welcome especially in offering more diversity of sound.

In this market of limited releases and live shows I can understand this record receiving quite substantial acclaim. I am a little more cautious. There are some splendid radio tracks here but I’m missing the emotion and feel that considerations of sound have trumped even lyrics in some songs. ‘What The Hell (Are We Gonna Do Now?)’ hits the mark for me with its opening Beach Boys style harmonies followed by simpler instrumental touches and a more conventional vocal (albeit with heavily Americanised accent), and lyrics which are more meaningful and a strong melody, with closing, interesting talking outro. More songs like this would have been welcome.

4/5

Background

Oxford quartet LOW ISLAND release new single ‘I Do It For You’ , ahead of their highly anticipated debut album IF YOU COULD HAVE IT ALL AGAIN.

Featuring additional production from lauded electronic artist Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - with whom they finished the track together with in his LA studio – ‘I Do It For You’ owns its own subtle swagger, pushing and pulling at the limits of sonic space. Taut drums, solid bass and Carlos Posada’s languid vocals are the only constants. The rest of the instrumentation buzzes with unpredictability, snaking off in random directions, before miraculously syncing up for the rhythmic silences that punctuates the song. The resulting cloud of pop-leaning electronic art-rock follows the traditional Low Island footprint, and is reminiscent of Radiohead, Caribou, or TV on the Radio.

The bubbling distortion that fades in and out in the background echoes the resigned frustration in the themes, as Carlos explains:

“This song is about someone recognising that they’re dutifully putting everything into a relationship that is fundamentally doomed, all for the sake of the ‘idea’ of love, rather than the person themselves.”

This falls in with the overarching narrative of the album – a reflection on, and release from, a confused yet necessary decade of painful first-hand discovery. Part self-reflective, part a story of literary and pop-culture protagonists trying to make sense of life.

Live the band have gone from strength to strength, selling out London’s Scala as well as regional shows around the UK, supporting Crystal Fighters at London’s Brixton Academy and across Europe, and making festival appearances at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Primavera, Lollapalooza Berlin and Latitude.

The support built up so far has resulted in around 7 million streams across platforms before an album has been released. Highlights including support from Spotify on New Music Friday UK, The Indie List, Indie Palace and a cover slot on Peach. Additionally, Amazon Music chose ‘Don’t Let The Light In’ as one of their Best Songs of 2020, and a placement in the vaunted FIFA 21 soundtrack has aided in discovery.

Low Island are Carlos Posada (vocals/multi-instrumentalist), Jamie Jay (Backing vocals/multi-instrumentalist/producer), Jacob Lively (Bass player, electric and synth bass) and Felix Higginbottom (Percussion/Drums).