We have a wonderfully pastoral and surprising video premiere today from Provincials who are based between the provinces of Hampshire and Dorset and fronted by Polly Perry of Polly & The Billets Doux. I say surprising as the video for ‘Landing on Water‘ is, on the face of it, a simple seaside train trip. Trust me, your perception will be completely altered by Polly’s vocals and eloquent lyrics, the ethereal feel of which is heightened by tinkling piano and Seb Hunter’s slide guitar. Together they pull you from the melodic chorus to a slightly altered-world which feels far removed from the other seaside day-trippers featured in the video. Look deeper and you’ll discover an existential retelling of the well known Ancient Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus. Such a perceptual transformation makes the press release reference to David Lynch’s film soundtracks all the more poignant. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface and it’s totally mesmerising and unique. Polly also admits that she draws particular inspiration from her friend and mentor Shirley Collins who I’m sure would love the results of this.
‘Landing on Water‘ features on their forthcoming ‘Ascending Summer‘ EP, released 21/6/15 via Itchen Recordings. It was composed as a follow up to their mid winter hymnal EP When The Light Changes. It features two brand new original compositions (Landing On Water and Ascending Summer) and a pair of remixes of previous EP title track by renowned Oxford based psych/folk/shoegaze band Flights of Helios, who have twisted and contorted the original track into even more atmospheric and unusual shapes, bringing a washy ambience via a pulsing 4/4 vibe to the Wicker Man soundtrack esque dark folk world.