Aura is a four-track introduction to some of the thematic and musical worlds we wanted to explore on our debut album, called Île de Rêve or an ‘island of dreams’. As a whole, we envisaged that project as a collection of (musical) short stories about our deep and often complex relationship with islands, as places were born, rooted and defined by, but also as places ingrained in the imagination.
Aura, the first track on the EP channels the surreal and the otherworldly. A short, starry-eyed reminiscence of something you seem to miss deeply, but can’t quite precisely define. Visually, our collaboration with Boyter and Pope on an official video helped to bring this imaginary to life. Shot on a combination of digital and Super 8 film, it’s an attempt at bringing together surreal cinema and pop, traversing aesthetics past and present…all with a bloody great glitterstorm at the end.
From the vague melancholy of Aura follows Grapple, a thematic counterpoint that tackles a particular theme head on. ‘Operation Grapple’ was the code name for a series of thermo-nuclear weapons tests carried out between 1957-58 in present-day Kiribati at the heart of the Pacific Ocean (on Malden Island and Kiritimati specifically). The success of those tests enabled Britain to proclaim itself a ‘nuclear superpower’ and a scientific and geostrategic equal to the United States and Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. In this case however, the events also made us to reflect on some other salient themes: islands and their use for projects of political excess, the wilful destruction of island ecosystems in places seemingly hidden and of little significance in the wider world. The musical elements on that track mirror the themes in some ways: playing with a, precise, almost mechanical motorik rhythm which is flooded with waves of synths, bringing chaos to the seeming order. A sort of dream pop maelstrom.
On the track Kingfisher which follows, we wanted to channel an entirely different sensibility, rather something softer, more in touch with its immediate surroundings and timeless. Kingfisher’s are pretty majestic birds with their really bright plumage, but often difficult to make out when they’re in full flight. Throughout history, there’s always been a little mystique about them. In Greek mythology, it was thought they had the power to control wind and wave patterns, so in touch were they with their immediate surroundings. We wanted to explore that theme musically too, with synths weaving in and out of the mix, blasting front-and-centre before drifting off into the distance. Overall, the instrumentation is a little more subtle and delicate than some of the other tracks on the record. We were definitely inspired by some of the less-is-more approach of trip-hop and the ethos that few elements were fine as long as each were beautiful.
The EP closes with Lighthouse, a track we wanted to metaphorically, lyrically and musically guide us ‘back to shore’. There’s a definite melancholy to the lyrics, an ode to people from your past that got away whilst you stood there at the dock, staring into the distance as they drift off, perhaps clinging to the idea that they’ll one day return or that you might be able to join them.