Back in spring, Modern Studies delivered one of the year’s album highlights with The Weight Of The Sun. In his review of the album, Bob Fish was struck their musical confidence and strength: “There’s a sense of subtlety and grace to The Weight Of The Sun that only comes from a band that is confident in their ability to find the power in the music.”
The time that they would have spent touring that album has instead been ploughed back into creativity and they have announced two new EPs to be released on Fire Records.
The EPs were recorded partly at the Glad Café in Glasgow with Emily Scott and Joe Smilie laying down piano melodies and percussion. Rob St John added guitars and modular synth, and an ambient track came from the processing of an accidental export of each ‘The Weight Of The Sun’ track playing at once.
Inspired by this collaborative process Rob and Emily began writing vocal melodies and collaborating on lyrics whilst Pete Harvey began mixing the new ideas in his Pumpkinfield studio and recording the basslines, cello and musical saw.
“We shook off our usual song structures in favour of something repetitive, slow and heavy; life flows in endless song. We added chopstick drums, prepared guitars, harmonium, xaphoon, bowed clock gongs, chimes and violins from our homes.”
Modern Studies
Split into two parts but arriving separately, Modern Studies first EP ‘Life Flows In Endless Song’ (out today) is diaphanous, adorned with the expansive sound of their recent releases whilst the second EP ‘The Body Is A Tide’ carries you into more ominous darker terrains providing another fine addition to the experimentalists’ expanding catalogue.
Taken from ‘Life Flows In Endless Song’, watch their new video for The Failing Light, which was edited and animated by Jonny Sanders (https://prehuman.co.uk/) and the footage shot by Modern Studies. It looks like another winner!
Modern Studies ‘Life Flows In Endless Song’ EP is digitally released on 10th December with the second EP due out in 2021.
Website: https://modernstudiestheband.com/
Photo Credit: Paul Marr