London-based avant-garde-pop-witch Steinsdotter deliver Lone Wolf (AKA “Wolf Moon”) the first release for 2024, accompanied by her announced intention to grace us with new music on every full moon of 2024, according to “a hunch in my bones that it’s more important than ever to reconnect with the mysterious rhythm of nature”.
Connection to rhythm and mystery is evident from the get-go. Sparse drum patterns and fills pan left to right, up, down, wherever. Textured drones accompany the angelic vocal; pure pop initially until a filtered diversion jars you hard for the first time. The bottom drops out for the chorus (if that’s what we’re calling it). Direct, dramatic, despairing. A call from the void, ever offset by the return to the verse, using reverberated piano chords to break the tension.
This EP contains 3 versions of Lone Wolf, first is the original recording, followed by a live recording and a piano rendition. The latter two serve well as a “behind-the-scenes” of the musicality underpinning the violent variances of the full-band edition. The wordless piano interpretation allow the melodic content of the song to shine. The gracious keys lead us into the live recording, which also serves a delicate, contemplative bed for the melodies within.
Keep an eye out for Steinsdotter’s periodical noise-pop, it’s surprisingly infectious.
Harry Jones