Cobalt Chapel release a new digital EP, Mountain, on June 1st 2018. Cobalt Chapel are Cecilia Fage (Matt Berry & The Maypoles) and Jarrod Gosling (I Monster, Regal Worm and award winning Tim Bowness artwork).
Mountain is the first release since the duos debut album, which was released in early 2017. The EP’s title track displays a much fuller sound than the music on their debut. A buzzsaw synth line underpins this slice of twisted pop, and as usual, there are plenty of twists, turns and off-kilter hooks lurking just below the surface.
Unusual echo effects and distortion add a mood of quiet unease, as the pace changes towards the end of Mountain, propelling the song into a more Gothic / choral territory.
Like a soundtrack to a dusty old haunted fairground, Bohemia is chock-a-block full of Jarrod’s favourite vintage keyboards, with not a VST in earshot. The lyric-less piece is apparently inspired by a love for odd European soundtracks.
The third new track on the EP (track 4 is an edit of lead song Mountain), is the longest track clocking in at over 10 minutes, and is my favourite song on the EP. Canticle is a dark rallying-cry of hope against the spectre of terrorism, and an exploration of escape, through nature, from the anxiety and intensity of city life.
The first section features gentle, beautiful treated vocals from Cecilia Fage, and like much of Cobalt Chapel’s music, evokes the sound of the late 60s / early to mid 70s.
The pace then dramatically shifts up a couple of gears, as layers of organ and spacey keyboards suddenly give way to the chaos and despair (clearly referencing the subject matter) as the music fights to break through the audibly distorted, visceral fog of fear. It is certainly uneasy listening, but often music has to challenge and disturb you to make its point, and Canticle is often dark and emotionally disturbing. This heavy, powerful track ends on what feels like a celestial journey.
Canticle is an intensely moving piece of music, and hints at the steady progression in Cobalt Chapel’s development. The music on the Mountain EP builds on the psychedelic, choral and keyboard driven sound of their debut and adds a new-found emotional intensity.
If you have not heard any of the duo’s music, the Mountain EP would be a good starting point, so dive in.
Mountain is available to stream or buy from 1st June 2018 on all digital platforms.
- Mountain
- Bohemia
- Canticle
- Mountain (Edit)
Pre-order the digital Mountain EP on Amazon.
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 
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