Hidden Shoal News
New Moonchy & Tobias Single, Album in March
We’re excited to announce the release of ‘Potio Medicata’, the new single from the forthcoming Moonchy & Tobias album, Golem. The single is available now to stream via SoundCloud ahead of the album release on 25th March through Tiny Room Records and Hidden Shoal. ‘Potio Medicata’ is accompanied by a suitably playful music video available to stream via YouTube.
Golem sees Moonchy & Tobias boldly embarking on a treacherous journey through haunted, psychedelic territory. Moonchy is the Medicine Woman in this dark rainforest, with Tobias dredging up waterlogged sound from the swamp and refracting it through a hall of mirrors. While M&T’s widely acclaimed previous albums prioritized atmosphere over rhythmic intensity, Golem stirs in a heady dose of grinding bass and guitar textures familiar to fans of 90s bands such as Girls Against Boys and Morphine.
The album hurtles into view with ‘Zoas’, tapping into the lurching alt-rock magic of Captain Beefheart or Scary Monsters-era Bowie. First single, ‘Potio Medicata’ leans into an insistent Middle-Eastern flavored ostinato, melodically infused and mesmerizing, whilst ‘Mintea’ counterbalances its strident guitar riffing and joyous cowbell with Moonchy’s eerie vocal.
The music of Moonchy & Tobias is available for licensing for film, tv, web and beyond via Hidden Shoal.
Stunning Neo-Classical EP From Lunar Landscape’s Arnaud Sigonney
Hidden Shoal is excited to present the debut solo release from Lunar Landscape‘s Arnaud Sigonney. In contrast to the epic, progressive sound of Lunar Landscape, this solo EP finds Sigonney exploring a neo-classical palette of piano and strings. The title, which translates as “dreams never go away,” evokes the lush, romanticised realms of the imagination, in which these graceful compositions find their expression. From the eerie, stripped-back “Les Roses Noires” to the ghostly choral voices of “Cathédrale,“ Les Rêves Ne Disparaissent Jamais! is vividly cinematic, despite its succinct, 12-minute run-time.
The EP is available now via Spotify, Bandcamp and all other good online stores. The music of Arnaud Sigonney is available for licensing (master & sync cleared) for film, tv, web and more through Hidden Shoal. Please contact us for more details.
“The Field” – Beautiful New EP from The Slanted City
We’re excited to announce the release of The Field, the new EP from the Erik Nilsson project The Slanted City. The EP is available now via Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and the rest. The music of The Slanted City is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
The Field comprises three songs, written over the course of some fifteen years: ‘Counting Days’, a bossa nova about fieldwork far from home; ‘A House Divided’, a ballad about political polarization in the guise of a relationship drama; and ‘The Collective Field’, the program statement of World Listening Day 2020 set to music.
The World of Dust – New Music Video and Interview
We’re excited to present the wonderfully playful music video by Mark Jennings for The World of Dust song ‘Sailing’. The track is lifted from The World of Dust’s new album “True Sound”, available on CD and digital through Tiny Room Records and streamable via Spotify, Apple Music and the rest. The video is being premiered along with a fantastic interview with Stefan Breuer at The Daily Indie.New Kramies Single and Video, ‘Ohio, I’ll Be Fine’
Hidden Shoal is excited to present the gorgeous new Kramies single ‘Ohio, I’ll Be Fine’, a beautiful example of the emotional potency he’s has become known for. Taken from the highly anticipated forthcoming self-titled Kramies EP, “Ohio, I’ll Be Fine” taps into Kramies’ past, the lyrics unflinchingly facing his personal demons. Download the track via Bandcamp and watch the video on YouTube.
Produced by and featuring Jerry Becker of Train, as well as Jim Bogios of Counting Crows, “Ohio, I’ll Be Fine” combines the artistry of these three creative minds into a wonderfully detailed, emotionally resonant song. Clocking in at a concise three minutes, the song’s animated video casts a warm, nostalgic light on the song’s lyrical imagery, lifting your spirits while tugging on your heartstrings.
As a natural next step in a long and storied artistic career, “Ohio, I’ll be Fine” stands among Kramies’ best work to date, showcasing his knack for bringing together the personal and the universal into addictive, accessible folk-pop.
Kramies’ music is available for licensing through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.
New Single From The Slanted City, “The Field” EP Soon
We’re excited to present ‘A House Divided’, the first single lifted from The Field, the new EP from the Erik Nilsson project The Slanted City. The EP will see release on 5th October 2021 through Hidden Shoal. The music of The Slanted City is available for licensing (film, tv, web etc) via Hidden Shoal.
“The Field” comprises three songs, written over the course of some fifteen years: ‘Counting Days’, a bossa nova about fieldwork far from home; ‘A House Divided’, a ballad about political polarization in the guise of a relationship drama; and ‘The Collective Field’, the program statement of World Listening Day 2020 set to music.
Liminal Drifter ‘Cut Out’ – New Single!
Hidden Shoal is excited to present the new Liminal Drifter single, ‘Cut Out’, the perfect way to usher in the Australian springtime. Clean and shimmering, punctuated by golden horns and keys, the song’s positive momentum is counterbalanced by the bittersweet taste of leaving something behind. The track is lifted from Liminal Drifter’s forthcoming EP, due out later in the year and follows his amazing recent run in the U.S. college radio charts (#1 chill record of 2020!).
“As the introspective electronica plays us out, it’s not hard to imagine a utopia being enveloped by the soothing and thoughtful sounds of Liminal Drifter.” – Xpress Mag on Connected
Download via Bandcamp, stream via Spotify and the rest. The music of Liminal Drifter is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web games etc). Check here for more details on licensing this music.
Otinget’s Brilliant Debut Album Out Now!
On their debut release, The Greatest Thing That Never Happened… Yet, Swedish trio Otinget deliver a mesmerising suite of songs, blending delicate folk, strident post-rock, lilting Americana and brooding slowcore – plus a special guest appearance by Dungen lead guitarist Reine Fiske. The album is available now via Bandcamp, Spotify and all other good online stores and streamers. The music of Otinget is available for licensing for film, tv, web and more via Hidden Shoal.
On title track and first single, Fiske helps build the song from its gentle rollicking intro to its feverish conclusion. Opener ‘The Sea’ weaves mesmerising, spidery guitar lines before the bassline references the Hendrix classic ‘Hey Joe’. ‘The Vagabond’ manages to seamlessly fuse math-rock guitar lines with a bluesy swagger, highlighting both the band’s songwriting smarts and their formidable ability as performers. ‘But Something Came Over Me’ is a brooding slice of atmospheric pop, building up and falling away in equal measures over its runtime. And the album closes with ‘Further’, a majestic re-working of a song by one of Otinget frontman Erik Nilsson’s other projects, The Slanted City
Otinget was born in an abandoned industrial building on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, where Victor Alneng (Infra) and Tomas Eriksson (Magnolia, My Brother the Wind) made music in various, shifting constellations. Erik Nilsson (The Slanted City), acquainted with Alneng from their university days, joined on guitar and later vocals, and together they discovered a synergy worth exploring further: the interplay between Eriksson’s imaginative drumming, Alneng’s melodic bass playing and Nilsson’s fingerstyle guitar. On their debut album Otinget are joined on a couple of tracks by Reine Fiske (Dungen) and Mathias Danielsson (My Brother the Wind).
The World of Dust “True Sound” Out Now!
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the release of True Sound, the new album from The World of Dust, the musical project of Stefan Breuer, featuring Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices, Robert Pollard, Circus Devils). The album is available on CD and digital through Tiny Room Records and can be streamed via Spotify, Apple Music and the rest.The music of The World of Dust is available for licensing via Hidden Shoal (film, tv, web etc).
In some ways a concept album, True Sound charts a very personal exploration of the life and death of Stefan Breuer’s grandparents. The unique overarching narrative that plays out with each song, and the warmth of the delivery, unites the album into a moving and consistent whole. As with The World of Dust’s acclaimed previous album, Samsara, the instrumental elements on True Sound were created by Todd Tobias, who sent them to Breuer to write and sing the lyrics. Tobias’s wonderfully melodic compositions call to mind his work with Robert Pollard, creating a haunting marriage when combined with Breuer’s pure vocal tones, reminiscent of The White Birch’s Ola Flottum.
The mesmerising, drumless opening track ‘Sailing’ introduces Breuer’s grandfather, Jan (whose personal effects are on display in the Museum of Vlaardingen), over insistent, metallic guitar and burbling modulation. First single ‘Goodbye’ has a charming, wistful sway and gorgeous vocal harmonies, which belie its sobering story of Jan’s battle with cancer. Jan’s first wife, who passed away during childbirth, is commemorated on ‘Petronella’s Death’, with its elegant, descending guitar figures. And Breuer’s grandmother is touchingly memorialised on the elegant tempo shift and eerie arpeggios of ‘Nel’s Passing’. Ultimately, True Sound is testament to the liberation that comes from letting go.
“Its power lies in the intimacy… without drowning in desolate melancholy” – hifi.nl
Memorybell “Glass Garden” Out Now!
Hidden Shoal is proud to announce the release of Glass Garden, the beautiful fourth album by American neoclassical minimal ambient artist Memorybell. The album is available now to purchase in CD and digital formats from Bandcamp and to stream and download from Spotify, Apple Music and all other good online music stores. The music video for album track ‘Here’, by Australian artist Cam Merton, is available to stream via YouTube. The music of Memorybell is available for sync licensing via Hidden Shoal.
Created during lockdown and inspired by the science fiction narratives of The Stars My Destination and Silent Running, the new album confronts the ache of loneliness and isolation with a healthy dose of hope. As Outerbridge explains, “At the start of the lockdown, I existed in a state of unease… I revisited many of my old, unreleased recordings, searching for inspiration… I chose four songs that sit well together, tweaked and manipulated them, and created three new, complimentary tracks. Something new from something old. Not a revolutionary concept, but a comforting one, when faced with an existential threat.”
True to the album’s title, the sound palette is organic, reflective and beautiful, as sustained tones bloom into clear space. Bookended by shorter tracks ‘Limbic Drift’ and ‘Here’, the album stretches out on the 17-minute ‘Distant Fire’ and the 11-minute ‘Broken Petals’. Generous in scope and open-hearted in timbre, Glass Garden zeroes in on intimate instrumental tones and expands them into environments to inhabit and explore.
“Essential to anyone searching for an aural retreat from an over-compressed world of packaged sound… Highly recommended for fans of solo piano and intersected genres, where Brian Eno meets Satie.” – Headphone Commute on Obsolete