Recitals – Gradient: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day

Recitals are building up to the release of their debut album with Gradient, the third single from the upcoming Orbit I.

Here’s the blurb with details:

Recitals have unveiled the third and final single from their upcoming debut album, Orbit I. ‘Gradient’ is a dynamic sentiment that divulges the state of the world’s climate, reflected sonically through the musical tensity and release – from the sparsity in the introduction, with its bare vocals and spidery synth, to the explosive breakdowns capturing the band’s potent energy.

Tharushi Bowatte, Sam Curtiss, Josh Finegan, Carla Camilleri, Olivia Wilding
Christian Dimick, Xanthe Rook — PHOTO CREDIT: LEWIS FERRI

“I remember going out to stand on the roof of my building in January 2020 to see the moon a violent red, painted that way by the Australian bushfires of the season. I remember thinking that it felt like an undeniably bad omen, the idea that we could/and were, changing the colours of our planet. It seems obvious now, as everything in the world seemed to combust, and spin completely out of control, to a point of uncontrollable dimension after that moon. I didn’t own any guitars at the time so I had to keep stealing one out of my flatmate’s room while he was away for the summer. I wrote the verses for the song and then worked with Christian and Josh to write those cacophonous 7/8 sections and that breakdown section at the end. The song kind of feels premonitory now, or like a prelude to all of this.” – Xanthe Rook.

The band have teamed up once again with director Matilda Boese–Wong, as well as editors Erin Murphy and East Abernethy to bring ‘Gradient’ to life visually. The music video, made with the generous support from NZ On Air and shot masterfully through the brilliant lens of Bill Bycroft (Aldous Harding, Womb, Marlon Williams), follows two lovers’ adventure across the land, where a chest is discovered and an otherworldly power is unlocked within.

“Xanthe Rook and I conjured up this peculiar video late one night in my bedroom. We wanted to take the viewer to a luscious alternate dreamscape, so we spent many evenings painting, cutting and gluing in order to craft this realm. With the contributions of some phenomenal artists we were able to see our vision through.  ‘Gradient’ is packed to the brim with rich instrumentation, so it was important the visuals matched that. It was blissful to collaborate with editor Erin Murphy, in order to play with all of the opulent footage shot by Bill Bycroft and bring it into an otherworldly territory.” – Matilda Boese–Wong

PRE-ORDER ‘ORBIT I’ HERE

ORBIT I – TRACKLISTING 

Tongue
Gradient
Rock Dove
Slowfast
Angelpoise (Interlude)
The Pip
Arrow
Sweat
Tongue (Reprise)

“Equal parts dreamy, dirgey, chaotic, refined, heavy and soft – a glittering throwback to a bygone era… think Broadcast meets Slint.” – Princess Chelsea

“Orbit I is a grand and imposing freshman exhibition. It holds chaos in one hand and the ether in the other. It is saturated, dense, heavy hearted and consistently attempts to acknowledge duality. The formulation and wrangling of such a beast took time; obsession, kai, camaraderie and personal trial. Logistically it was messy, and at times idiotic – but we never doubted its worthiness of being brought into the world.” 

Between the simple, cooing melodies in ‘Tongue’, the angular drive in ‘Gradient’ and the dark-toned, bass-driven ‘Sweat’, the album is a full exploration of timbre. Each members’ musical projections are realised, and the open-ended configurations leave room for the listener to traverse every layer.

“Orbit I was a collective artistic quest, perseveringly born amidst a very strange, and disorderly time to be alive. Playing music every Sunday night together became a sacred and necessary communion. The record is understood differently by each of us,  but the sense of collectivity and connectivity is constant. If you keep an ear out, the laughter is palpable. This record simultaneously shaped us as we shaped it. It represents an initial idea, an opening, that declares ‘parameters’ as ultimately meaningless to us. Now we know, nothing binds friends better than the laborious birth of a beautiful baby.”

Orbit I is out on 26th August 2022 via Flying Nun Records. Available on standard black LP, clear LP and across all digital and streaming platforms.

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: THARUSHI BOWATTE