There exists a rather vibrant avant-garde scene in parts of Europe, where certain household names keep popping up and conjoining with other names new and old, forming a very organismic tunnel system founded on exquisite, unrestrained tonal palettes flourishing through experimentation and collaboration. There seems to be a strong sense of shared artistry that effectively acts as an overly absurd puzzle, each artist representing their own part in something even greater than its sum. Over the years I’ve found myself getting quite invested in this particular branch of art and being vocal about it, so much so that today’s premiere was spoon-fed to me, and I’m all for it.
This House is a collaboration between the gentlemen G.W. Sok and Ignacio Córdoba, with the upcoming album Soft Rains Will Come being their second one and also featuring the drummer Søren Høi and synthesist Kristian Tangvik. The album will be out on March 20 via Pink Cotton Candy in collaboration with Ramble and Red Wig, and today we’re delighted to bring you the video single “Burned House” off of said album. So strap in, and hop into This House‘s unique experimental post-punk world;
I’ve admired G.W. Sok‘s absolutely stellar, poetic wordsmithery for years, as apparent from my articles with Oiseaux-Tempête and Sopa Boba amongst others. The gentleman’s spoken vocal delivery is both commanding and soothing, and just absolute pleasure to my worn-out ears on every occasion. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of his projects that I’ve come across so far, and This House is no different. “Burned House” demonstrates each of the musicians on their respectively perfected craft, coming together to form an extremely unique sonic palette and rather palpable vibes, topped of with Sok recounting a story moving through a woman’s final breakfast among flames and debris, observing the familiar elements of her home one last time in a cathartic, psychedelic state.
‘The accompanying music video, directed by Ignacio Córdoba, mirrors the song’s surreal narrative through a blend of bucolic landscapes, nostalgic footage, lo-fi aesthetics and dry humour. A model house opens up to reveal the band miniaturized inside its rooms, each member performing as if summoning the fire itself, visually echoing the heat and intensity described in the lyrics.‘
The song is a pleasant journey through shuffling grooves, disjointed chord runs, surprisingly melodic and lush chorus, some very discerning noises, and ultimately very cathartic, noisy outro section. I do enjoy it when second-guessing what’s comfortable and what isn’t is thrown out of the window entirely, and the artists go for their most visceral visions with a like-it-or-fuck-off attitude. All the musicians involved have carved their own path through the scene I delineated in the opening paragraph, and them coming together as a unit called This House is very welcome experiment indeed.
Together with the previously released single we covered over here, Soft Rains Will Come is shaping up to be a fascinating record to look forward to, and one I will need to dig deeper into, as I might have the full thing in my inbox already.
Do yourself a favour and follow This House on Instagram, Mastodon, and/or Bluesky, and pre-order Soft Rains Will Come from here while you’re at it.
