Single Reviews – 6 December 2022 – The Ocelots, Sophie Bernice, Nasti, spaceseer

Single Reviews 2022

 


 

The Ocelots – Addlepated

indie folk

Wexford twins The Ocelots make indie folk music with impressions of cabaret and art pop on their recent single “Addlepated”. This amorous song of longing has a bittersweet chord progression, sincerely delicate vocal harmonies, wandering harmonica lines, and humorous lyrics that reference nature (“The rabbits burrow in ragged wood”) to paint a well-produced picture of a youthful summer romance. For anyone wondering, the obscure word ‘addlepated’ means confused or erratic. The narrator here is forlorn about Alice, the girl next door who prefers averagely-sized and more down-to-earth folk. The writer pleads for the object of his desire to fix him into whatever she wants (“turn me into half beast, half man”), showcasing a sensitivity reflected in the gossamer performances of this memorable and touching song.

Sophie Bernice – Sunny 

folk


Liverpool-based folk artist Sophie Bernice spins a gently beautiful tapestry on her recent single “Sunny”. Based on her floaty guitar and waveringly refined vocals, the track is embellished with soupçon harp strikes and brass textures. The lyrics talk of the redemptive power of nature and love (“When I’m holding her I feel so sunny.”) At two and a half minutes, this short track can keep the listener’s attention from start to finish, ensuring its quietly optimistic message never bores as it draws you into its sentimental and enchanting world. 

Nasti – 444

hip-hop/rap

Young Dublin rapper Nasti may be familiar to fans of RTE’s ‘Garageland’ series, yet for anyone not acquainted, the Northside rapper’s recent single, ‘444’, is a hard-hitting introduction to an artist who is bubbling up from the healthy Irish rap scene. His verses are lightning quick, sometimes so much so it’s near impossible to catch the words, even for native Hiberno-English speakers. The mood of the vocals and music is intentionally intense, and the lyrics you can catch expose a sensitive artist coming to terms with growing up in the big smoke (“I don’t want love ‘cus I don’t know the meaning”). If fellow Dublin rapper Kojaque is too accessible for you, and you’re looking for something a little darker, ‘444’ is an energising track from a rapper worthy of getting excited about. 

spaceseer – Treasury of Kahryatt 

industrial metal 

33% of Utah is true desert. It makes sense, then, why Utahn sonic explorer spaceseer’s most recent EP,  Colossi Perpetual Factory, is as grand and far-reaching as the wastelands of his state. Taken from that EP, the transportive “Treasury of Kahryatt” roams for eight-and-a-half minutes of heavy-handed industrial metal, encompassing clangy percussive strikes, glacial electric guitar tones, and manicured soundscapes which hypnotise as they, strangely, soothe.