It’s been two years since we got an EP from Spectoral. 2018’s “An Incorruptible Dream” was a stunning resume piece that cemented the Australian producer/singer’s talent for blending alternative R&B with experimental art-pop cuts, seeing press compare him to Lido, Golden Vessel and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Its opener, “Movin’ On” was officially curated by Spotify into their coveted Lotus playlist, and the six-track EP continues to attract fans and playlist adds today.
Not one to leave fans wanting, Spectoral built hype throughout 2020 with a string of colourful collaborations, notably DAISY LANE with pop singer-songwriter Kathana, ATLANTIS with rapper-producer Satisdiction, and DREAMS with synthpop outfit The Safety Word.
It was all leading up to this. Now, a bigger and bolder Spectoral returns with a much anticipated follow-up EP that reflects the producer’s evolution and maturity. DARKNESS MAY FIND US boasts six tracks and half a dozen collaborators, many from the world of hip-hop, including features from Canberra’s Kirklandd and Perth’s Aunty Mango.
Accompanying the EP is Spectoral’s brand new, lead single, THE WEATHER SLOWLY WARMED. Invoking the expansive, lustful productions of The Weeknd, THE WEATHER SLOWLY WARMED is a forward-thinking slice of subversive pop-R&B that builds from unsettling, experimental textures.
Vulnerably spot-lit, Spectoral’s vocal shines like a moonbeam, guiding us through an evolving arrangement that steadily turns up the heat from its granular, wintery beginnings to a temperate, bass-laden bop.
Speaking about the inspiration behind penning the track, Spectoral says, “My Pa told me a year ago, that all the songs from his generation are about "chasing love". He said he'd love to hear a song about "not needing love to find happiness" written from the male perspective. So I set out to deliver this as if it were a classic love song, but the lyrics are actually the total antithesis of wanting a relationship to work. I don’t hear that angle explored very often from the male perspective in R&B. The idea of boldly declaring to yourself that you’re actually so much happier without the drama someone else brings. It’s cathartic, freeing and strangely sexy.”
Spectoral wrote the majority of THE WEATHER SLOWLY WARMED while staying at his Mauritian grandparents’ secluded property in Maryborough, Queensland, and finished recording it back in Melbourne, prior to the lockdowns. The single is also co-produced by maverick Texan hip-hop R&B producer Denzel Stone.
Adding to the single’s appeal is a gorgeously animated music video, exploring the transition between seasons around a continuously rotating world. The music video will be available on Spectoral’s official YouTube & VEVO channel as well as social media channels, shortly after the audio.
THE WEATHER SLOWLY WARMED and its accompanying EP, DARKNESS MAY FIND US, releases everywhere on January 22nd, 2021.
lyrics
I'm used to keeping all your messages safe
I'm now deleting them and saying I'm freeing space
You'd only say I'm sentimental anyway
You think I’d need your love...
I knew you better in the earlier days
I search for meaning there, and baby, how things have changed
If I could meet myself a year ago I would say:
"You think I'd need your love,
But heaven knows
Without your love,
The weather slowly warmed
And without all your blues
New lovers called"
I used to take you into paradise
I used to build you up and idolise
Now there's no magic moments up inside your eyes
Now it's finalised
Say it is, so it is what it is,
And you don't get a thing about my love
Sing along, and my game will be strong
As you think about my love
Without your love
The weather slowly warmed
And without all your blues
New lovers called
Without your love
The weather slowly warmed
And without all your blues
New lovers called
So there's not even pain in my heart
No there's not even pain in my heart at all
So there's not even pain in my heart
No there's not even pain in my heart at all
credits
from DARKNESS MAY FIND US,
released January 22, 2021
Written, produced and performed by Spectoral.
Co-production on track 2 and 3 by Denzel Stone.
Features (lyrics, vocals) on track 3 are Aunty MNGO and Kirklandd.
Feature (lyrics, vocals) on track 4 is Kathana.
Co-writing on track 4 by Kathana.
Co-production on track 5 by Satisdiction.
Feature (lyrics, vocals) on track 5 by Satisdiction.
Remix production on track 6 by Megadead.
Track 1 mixed and mastered by Spectoral.
Track 2 mixed and mastered by Spectoral.
Track 3 mixed by Jonwayne.
Track 3 mastered by SUB-Human.
Track 4 mixed and mastered by Spectoral.
Track 5 mixed by Satisdiction, Spectoral and Jonwayne.
Track 5 mastered by SUB-Human.
Track 6 mixed and mastered by Megadead.
Graphics by Spectoral.
All rights reserved, 2021.
Spectoral nimbly weaves their subversive electronic sound design with ultramodern hip-hop and pioneering alternative R&B,
pushing the boundary of pop to the cutting-edge.
Dave Ruby Howe, Music Director of Triple J Home & Hosed, describes Spectoral as an artist who "can be relied on to deliver highly detailed productions with unshakable earworm qualities at their core"....more
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