Release Day: The River

Today I am releasing a track called "The River". The track is inspired by the quiet menace of countryside rituals - especially, in this case, cricket. The song blends irregular melodies, rough-edged guitars, and reggae-tinged bass guitar. Recorded in single unedited takes in my Helsinki apartment.

I will update the listen links below as they come:

Sonically, it features a lot more distortion than I tend to use normally, as well as more obvious processing. Based on feedback I've had so far, it still seems to conjure up 60s psychedelic folk. It's an inescapable part of my sound, it seems.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Selected Rejections for The River

"Your song “The River” conveys a great psychedelic folk sound. The vocal performance is fabulous as well as the instrumental of the song. The structuring assigned to the song I really liked as well. Overall the production is good and, in conclusion, it is an accomplished composition to which, personally, I wouldn't change anything."

"Great bass line, with personality and that supports your sound very well. Here we really feel a special emphasis on the bass and the effects used that mix psychedelia with a pop, uplifting vibe. We were also touched by dirty, distorted and interesting guitars to create a harmonious noise, so to speak, in the music."

"The first thing I notice is that the vocals are close to Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd’s first era."

"The energy is raw, like an underground club. The momentum you’ve created is so captivating."

"The River has a beautiful and unique instrumentation. The guitars sound metallic and the distortions gritty here."

"Quite fond of its moody vibes and dark tones, the lively feeling of the instrumental, the guitar line is quite engaging and so is the overall tempo / cadence, the atmosphere feels as haunting as energetic and the bass line adds a cool groove to it all."

"The breakdown around 2:15 is super cool."

"The guitar work and energy is sharp and quite on point. It has a share of sounds and influences that are well produced and has a lot of energy."

"Wailing guitar twangs and steady vocal pushes combine with an enjoyable quality, with the "for crying out loud," sounding enjoyably like a cross of XTC and Bowie into the psych-friendly reverb effect thereafter."

"Loved the dirty guitar tone, the song reminded me of some Of Montreal tracks."

"Very interesting altpop song with something of David Bowie in it."

"This is very stylish! I love the sparseness of this. I love the way that you use that lyrical hook to connect all the dots together here. And I thought that the vocals show this quiet menace to them."

"Island Wastrel just produce a hotchpotch of ideas and manage to squeeze them into the environs of a single song so I more or less come away from their music feeling like I've had my head in a spin cycle. The River is no different either, pushing and cajoling us into a world where there is the essence of psychedelic sixties fare and it could be just the thing for the remaining hippies out there with a flower in their hair and needing a soundtrack to get with the programme. It's a glam rock kind of conditioning that I couldn't quite master but by is it an experience and a half."

"A riser effect could make builds more dynamic."