‘My House’ may only be the second of Tenderhost’s singles, but through distinct narratives of disillusion and rootlessness, wrapped, in the smokey allure of jazz-infused punk, the group have managed to establish a signature tone. Continuing from their cinematic debut track ‘The Descent’, their latest single is an intoxicating window into a dark world; suffocated by intrusive thoughts and sinister forces.
Angular saxophones burst through the swirling and slow progression of the track. Cut through with a narrative filled with fear, and the creeping isolation it brings. From the track’s opening proclamation “no one ever knocks anymore” to the defeated cry “as long as I’m awake I’m overwhelmed”, ‘My House’ is a fascinatingly vulnerable insight into the ways in which intrusive thoughts escalate and overwhelm. There is a distinct desperation in singer Gabriel Levy’s tone as he describes the way in which he is “at the wheel with all control taken from me.” It is as if he is being forced to confront the illusion of control he has fallen under, in contrast with the reality, of his crippling inability to act.
Levy has discussed the ways in which the track is a reflection upon “dealing with intrusive thoughts, feeling uprooted and overwhelmed by them.” The intensity of this conflict was something he wanted the lyrics and arrangement to capture “as vividly as possible.” The seductive blend of punky defiance, alluring cinematic-jazz, and oblique-rhythms, mean you’re pulled into the narrative and immersed, in a sea of anxiety and uncertainty.
The track’s release comes with the announcement of Tenderhost’s debut EP ‘The Tin’, out on the 29th April. As Tenderhost continue to establish their distinctly dark yet enthralling aesthetic, you can’t help but be drawn to their shadowy world.
Photo by Jody Evans
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