London based band Arliston have only been together in this format since the beginning of the year but are already making waves in the world of indie experimental pop. Their first single, ‘Enough’, debuted in the summer and their EP, Hawser, was released on 5 October. The band, consisting of George Hasbury (keys, guitar, bass and backing vocals), Jordi Bosch (drums, synth & backing vocals) and Jack Ratcliffe (guitar & lead vocals) were originally formed as Hawser (George and Jack), but it was only with the arrival of Jordi that the music really got going.
Hawser is a noun defined as a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship and although it was meant to be a band-name, actually becomes an unwittingly fitting name for the EP. It is Arliston’s connection to its roots; the rope which moors them to the past, but also pulls them forward, out of failure and (hopefully) into some degree of success.
Before you read on, Arliston is giving a FREE download of “Paralysed”, to Angry Baby readers. If you’re not already subscribed to Angry Baby, just pop the email address that you’d like it delivered to here and it will be on its way to you straight away, together with a bumper collection of music that has been shared by Angry Baby. The music comes from outstanding artists that you may not have heard before. With a mix of rock, pop, folk…you name it…there’s bound to be something new that floats your musical boat, and all for free! What’s not to like about that?!
All the tracks on Hawser flow into each other, making an overall sound that is coherent yet creative and despite yielding a sound of melancholia all through, is very soothing to listen to. Emotionally honest with haunting vocals, Arliston treads the familiar song route of love and breakup but in such a way that it feels new. This is particularly true with ‘Language of Strangers’, which floats over the listeners so effortlessly, you miss the contrasting lyrics at first. It’s only upon second playing that deeper understanding comes. The lines “this party’s over” and “the balloon has popped…we’re using the language of strangers” resonates. Anyone who has been through any form of relationship breakdown knows that the first casualty is the change in the language used when speaking to each other. Gone are the endearments and instead, icy politeness reigns.
Arliston’s advice for aspiring musicians is all about songwriting, rather than performance. They say “write as many songs as possible Not only will you get much much better at it, but also it’s a bit of a numbers game. Most songs you write will be OK but only some will
be special.” Sage advice for all careers!
Hawser was released on October 5th. Get your copy here.
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