LISTEN: MEMORIALS Craft Ethereal Balladry On Lush “Wildly Remote”

MEMORIALS, Electrelane frontwoman Verity Susman and Wire guitarist Matthew Simms, are excited to announce North American tour dates with Holy F*ck in support of their new album All Clouds Bring Not Rain, out March 27 on Fire Records (pre-order). The upcoming run will include shows in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, West Hollywood, Las Vegas, and more. Tickets are on sale now. 

Sounding like an unearthed lost classic, MEMORIALS twist their influences into their own unmistakable sound. Imagine Nico singing with Can, produced by David Axelrod, and you’re somewhere in the right ballpark… for a song or two at least! The record draws inspiration from a wide range of music, including folk, dub, post punk, experimental tape music, 60s soul, garage rock, 70s spiritual jazz, and Canterbury prog.

MEMORIALS’ new LP is right around the corner, and before they unleash what is shaping up to be a landmark moment for the duo, they take us on a simplistic journey to ethereal indie rock bliss. “Wildly Remote” sits quaintly in your speakers, playing as if there is a person full of longing crooning in your speakers, trapped both physically and mentally. The pitter-patter of the otherworldly yet palpable synths glisten alongside the warm vocals, evoking a sense of levitation while anchoring the listener to earth through poetic songwriting. The way the vocals whirl around this atmospheric arrangement is intoxicating. While it is easy to drift away on these sweetly sung melodies, there is a hint of heartbreak in these lyrics that cannot go unnoticed. “Wildly Remote” is an intimate preview of an anticipated LP from an exciting young band and introduces the singular sound of MEMORIALS in stunning fashion. 

“We started this song in a really clichéd way – in a sound check! It was at a memorable gig in Brest, a beautiful port town on the western-most tip of France,” explains Simms when asked about the new single. “Brittany has embraced us, and we love playing there! We wanted to try to capture, on the recording, an intimacy and atmosphere that we have found to be an important part of playing live, when, amongst the noisier outbursts, come quiet, gentle moments. It’s the juxtaposition of the two and the twists and turns we take between them that we hope keep things interesting!”  

“I feel there is a deceptive simplicity to it all, but especially in the word play of the chorus, expressing a notion of something true but also not quite realised or perhaps out of reach…” continues Simms. “For recording, we tried a few approaches, but it was clear to us that the song should be the focus, and we wanted the sound to be warm and upfront. The electric guitar is run through an old Leslie speaker that blurs the edges beautifully, and the saxophone tape loop was the ideal twist! The verse and chorus are both based around the same 3-chord sequence, so we knew we wanted it to go somewhere else in the middle. These incidental moments almost always come together quickly and instinctively, if they’re going to work. The tape-loop solo seemed to fit instantly as an unconventional sound and performance, taking its place in an otherwise quite conventional spot for a solo in an instrumental section. The tape machine gets its time to shine!”