We have the pleasure of introducing you to a song by a band you’ve likely never heard of. But, rest assured, you will likely seek them out time and again after being exposed to their music just once. Hailing from the southern British city of Brighton, Collect Call is a synth-laced indiepop project and the solo project of Brighton-based electronic producer / songwriter Joseph Thorpe.
His new single ‘Chase The Light’ is found on the recently-released EP ‘The Golden Hour’, following up the earlier-released single ‘Simple’. With whisper-close and even confessional vocals, this fantastic song unfurls to an upbeat drum and bass beat – an expose of melancholic indie beauty. The first artists that first come to mind upon listening to this and the other tracks comprising the new EP are Talk Talk, Sufjan Stevens, Beck Tape Runs Out and Youth Lagoon. Serenading the ears and imagination, Collect Call makes for a rather fascinating and tantalising listen.
‘The Golden Hour’ is a romantic, nostalgic journey through sound that is about embodying the dying embers of the day and not giving up the ghost when all might seem lost. Thorpe’s unique brand of indie pop is a beacon for like-minded people, standing its ground with whimsical, lo-fi electronic beats and sincere vocals. Yes, we’d like to explore more from this artist further down the road.
On ‘The Golden Hour’, Thorpe has created a space for candid self-expression, having done so with nuanced vulnerability. Taking inspiration from the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Air, this new 4-track offering is as experimental as it is emotive. Recorded across a mixture of cupboards, attics and studios, Thorpe meticulously sculpted this EP at Brighton Electric Studios with the help of collaborator Kianna Blue (The Academy of Sun). TAOS bandmate Ash Babb also contributed the cover artwork for this EP.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2144514934 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
“The recording of this EP came at a point where I was feeling very lost as a musician and writer. I had been sitting on a large collection of songs and wanted to try every conceivable avenue I could musically that didn’t really have any sense of cohesion; I became depressed and questioned what direction I was going in, as well as the other two members of the group at the time departing the project for personal reasons,” says Joseph Thorpe.
“When the world plummeted into lockdowns, I began tinkering with an idea that would later become ‘Pretense’. I had been listening to Sufjan Stevens and Kings of Convenience at the time and felt that finishing the song helped me break out of my fugue state and I could get back into making music that I enjoyed. I then went back and whittled what originally was a 7-track EP to just 4, incorporating two old songs that I reworked and two new ideas that were all but completely recorded in one day at Brighton Electric Studios. The Golden Hour for me is a cathartic reminder of staying true to yourself, chasing the light as it fades over the hill and that sometimes less can indeed be more.”
Collect Call debuted on the music scene with the single‘Rain: Stop’ in June 2020, following up with‘Pretense’ in October of that year. Utilising his expansive, eclectic musical knowledge and experience, Thorpe creates cathartic soundscapes involving lucid pianos and enchanting vocals that are the perfect companion in times of loneliness.
‘The Golden Hour’ is out now, available digitally across online stores and streaming platforms, including Apple Music,Spotify and Bandcamp.
TRACK LIST
1. Chase The Light
2. Simple
3. No Amount of Medicine
4. The Golden Hour
CREDITS
Written, produced and mixed by Joseph Thorpe
Corin Robinson – additional engineering, mastering
Joseph Thorpe – vocals, keys, drums, guitar, bass, synths
Kianna Blue – piano, additional synthesizers, percussion, sound effects
Lawrie Pringle – bass on ‘No Amount of Medicine’
Andrew Stuart-Buttle – strings on ‘Simple’
‘The Golden Hour’ cover artwork by Ash Babb
Artist photos taken by Tan Lee
Follow, support and fan out over Collect Call
Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Soundcloud | Apple Music | Spotify
