The Electorate - “Unfamiliar”
The Electorate from Sydney, Australia, make their debut on the blog with the sprawling and texturally ethereal “Unfamiliar.”
Melancholic like the early Cure but definitely lacking the mascara. Gritty with the sluggish, half dead bass and flirting with reverb-soaked shoegaze that’s equivalent to an early Verve deep cut, “Unfamiliar” is dubbed by the trio as “the aural equivalent of driving down a foggy highway at night.” The track is certainly like a fever dream soaked in petrol.
Right from the offset the composition is not interested in any cathartic releases, instead it looms immersively in a narcotic, nocturnal, woozy ambiance. Some of the most pleasing aspects of the track are in the musical breaks that reveal an incredibly tight band that feel like they are almost improvising around a sprawling groove that’s unfolding on the edge of sleep.
Complementing “Unfamiliar” is a half nonchalant vocal that doesn’t demand any presence in the track and that is meant in the best possible way. It is a performance that floats, flickers and lingers like a shadowy, more melodic, less abrasive Paul Banks from Interpol. It is the perfect delivery needed to animate the stark, emotionally stranded lyrics.
Taken from the album, By Design, “Unfamiliar” is a slow burning track that will be loved by fans of the British leaning, gravity warping end of shoegaze, post punk and the alternative genres.
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