It has been a long time since I’ve heard a piece of music which so effortlessly manages to intertwine itself with the natural world. Lauded by the likes of 6Music’s Marc Riley and Lauren Laverne, Low Chimes make such a feat look like second nature. Indeed, the Stroud-based quartet’s previous singles have earned the band a heap of praise and solidified them as one of the country’s most promising purveyors of explorative, genre-bending folk music.
Low Chimes’ new single ‘Sulphur Silk’ develops on the band’s fusion of indie, blues and psychedelia with the folk genre. We are introduced to the landscape that Low Chimes paint for us through the dulcet tones of a flute-like synth line which warbles over warm acoustic and grit-tinged electric guitars; its delicacy mirroring the airy trills of Marianne Parrish’s vocals. Low Chimes’ capacity for moulding textured sonic landscapes is one dwarfed only by Parrish’s lyrical creativity.
Inspired by her travels and love of nature, Parrish’s ear for alliterative lyrical patterns and use of vivid pastoral metaphor take centre stage in ‘Sulphur Silk’. Her words bounce around with the most pleasing fragility and seem to be woven together in a way which makes it apparent that for Parrish and Low Chimes, music is the most important form of self-exploration.
‘Sulphur Silk’ is taken from Low Chimes’ debut album ‘Illumine’, which is due for release on 6th October via their own label, Bellow Records.
Catch the band live at the following dates:
17th Sept – Kenilworth Arts Festival
23rd Sept – Boudica Festival
19th Oct – Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh
20th Oct – [Venue TBC], Kendal
21st Oct – The Eagle Inn, Salford
26th Oct – The Railway, Winchester
27th Oct – The Malt House, Bristol
28th Oct – The Goods Shed, Stroud
5th Dec – Sebright Arms, London
