New EP on the Mantle piece

‘We’, the eponymous track to the newly released EP on GetMe! Records, is an indulgent 10 a half minute’s worth of atmospheric dreamscape, consisting of stretched out vocals that undulate above and below a flickering hi-hat, saturated in feedback and echoes that culminate in a slower more atmospheric piece to what would normally be expected of the Glaswegian-based bedroom producer that is Dam Mantle aka Tom Marshallsay. Slower in tempo than previous EPs ‘Grey’ and ‘Purple Arrow’, Marshallsay’s nocturnal and isolated method to his productive spurts of creativity has allowed for a shift in sound on the new four track EP.

A more bass-heavy ‘Meet Me In The Ambulance’ that flows almost seemlessly from its predecessor, lays emphasis on the twitches and clicks that slightly pick up the tempo of this track in comparison to ‘We’. Meanwhile eery vocals swim alongside the jittery beat like whales, giving it a beautiful bleakness that continues on the following track ‘Somnambulate, My Dear’. Here we find ourselves spiralling downwards into the bewildering realms of what sounds like a computer crash – digital feedback, whirring hums and technological glitches aplently.

Finally we land on ‘Not A Word’. Saving the best till last, Mantle reverts back to his style of yore – leaning predominantly on distorted spoken vocals (ironically, considering the track title) and barely any instrumental at all. Unlike the ambience created by the previous tracks, this finale gives rise to debate surrounding its ill-fitting position on the EP. However, the watery effects that are true to all four tracks on the EP make it deserving enough and an incredible climax to a long-awaited new sound from the depths of Dam Mantle’s secluded bedroom.
Buy it now from Boomkat http://boomkat.com/vinyl/419343-dam-mantle-we-ep

Published August 01, 2011.