New Flying Nun signees 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.
“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
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.