Talmont take the subject of desire, and let it spin not just through your ears, but beneath your fingers. Yes, their debut single ‘Buried in Gold’ is almost intimate, working with layers of sound and lyrics, lingering over the theme of ‘touch’ in a way which quickly immerses the audience.
The track opens with simple guitar strokes, before delving into spiralling synths and a drumbeat with depth (think early Foals meet Florence and The Machine) – as if recalling a sudden flush of emotion . The female vocals reflect this well, lyrics taking the position of a dissatisfied lover “longing for your hand in mine.”
This risks being melodramatic, but this want for touch is expressed in an effective tone – as the vocals swell to occupy each note, telling us more of the potential for intimacy, rather than its loss. It’s an interesting approach from this South East London three piece, preventing the track from being a typical tale of longing and instead tells us instead of the capacity to connect, through growing duality – female voice then followed by male.
The duality cleverly works both ways, as whilst the track grows in its melody, an instrumental interlude brings moodier drum depth and restless keys – reminding me a little of downtempo Bastille – pressing upon the emotional turbulence of love. Lines like “in time it breaks you / to recreate you” go on to reflect this contradiction; the contradiction that in love, we want to be close but cannot, want to be strong and yet break.
The track closes with the backing vocals full of “your touch” that carry an anthemic quality and the symbolic tolling of bells in what becomes like a reckoning for the voices in question. Perhaps these are voices ‘buried in gold’ of the title; the thick, rich capacity to attract touch surrounds them. Either way, it’s a powerful exploration and an alternate take on love, well worth a listen.
Talmont’s debut single ‘Buried in Gold’ is out now. Buy on iTunes here.
