Writer Reece Greenfield / Images supplied by Baudelaire
After having seen the Black Country pioneers Baudelaire perform live before, I expected their debut single ‘Prayers’ to be electrifying. However, upon hearing the driving rhythm section as the stalls opened I realised my expectations might just be exceeded.
Recorded after the motorik beat arrives at its first destination, Baudelaire’s guitars and synthesisers bloom forth to meet and in lockstep with its pace. The rich vocals grounding as the song propels us further towards its climax. Another bloom, Baudelaire adeptly displays their skills at crafting a sonic narrative able to elevate at a moment’s notice.
At this point, the rich textures are abruptly torn away leaving the drums and rhythmic guitar pacing double time. One deep breath before plunging into the chorus and back out into sweeping arcs of synthesisers. Then, we’re racing intandem with the post punk rhythm. The vocals crouch back down into gothic intensity, poised to surf another wave of sound into the next chorus.
Cut. Inhale. Lift-off.
The song bursts into the night sky conjuring images of moody industrial streets disappearing below grey clouds and we take flight. The rich yet cold vocals and pupil-dilating soundscapes acting as the spectral wings on which we soar.
Then, it’s over… the piece dies down just as quickly as it ramped up, punctuating the listener’s journey into ethereality.
After I caught my breath, I reached out to Arthur Jones the synth player to ask them about the recording process, and what inspired their intense and sonically rich sound.
“As we are a six-piece, our inspirations are quite broad. I think it’s pretty clear that we all like Joy Division, but more contemporary artists such as NIN, Protomartyr, Death Grips and Soft Kill tend to be our source of inspiration for the more Dark Wave side of the writing.”
“It was our great pleasure to work with Gavin Monaghan and Liam Radburn at Magic Garden Studios. I think we knew quite early on that Gavin shared our musical tastes and proclivities, and was totally on board with pursuing a darker, more menacing tone.
“We’re all very grateful that Gavin could use our ideas to create something far grander than the sum of its components, and we look forward to working with him in the future.”
Baudelaire’s ‘Prayers’ gives us all that in 2 minutes and 37 seconds? If they’ve started as they mean to go on, then what can we expect from Baudelaire’s next creation ‘Lethe’? Which should grace our ears in late spring.
‘Prayers’ – Baudelaire
For more on Baudelaire visit www.linktr.ee/_Baudelaire_