Albertan musician Michael James gives us a new Exit Bags record and once again it is a breathtakingly brilliant blend of everything Neo-Shoegaze, 90s folk and Lo-Fi Indie - in short we are very happy to present this amazing record a week ahead of its release: Enjoy Exit Bags’ form of Shoegaze and the new record A Fear of Open Water!
“Thalassophobia” is a portmanteau word for “fear of open water” (or also “fear of deep water”) - so this would basically be the correct term for Michael James’ new album. When he adds the article “a” in front of it, he indirectly states that there are several forms of such phobias, which is probably correct. Indirectly it also indicates that his work is just one manifestation of a certain state - and this one is a mightly interesting one. Combining 90s Lo-Fi folk (especially vocals-wise) with Flenser-esque Drone and Ambient elements he gives us a new succinct form of Shoegaze. One not always looking for the biggest wall of sound, but also not shying away from it, just compare the beginning of the final track“There’s Poetry in Dying Old At Sea” - a look more electronic than the rest of the album this track really shows Michael’s full range of not only influences but also results. Very industrialized soundscapes and distorted beats make for one of the most impressive tracks on this new record. When comparing this track to the intimate atmosphere of, for example, the opener “Your Fake Empathy” one can also see the journey we will make throughout this record, from a maybe somewhat unknown fear standing at the edge of the water to a death-threatening clarity of a panic attack when out on the water. And let’s be clear - we all should have respect for the open/deep seas and we will all face a kind of initial panic when being left out in it - thus this record is like a strong resemblance of our human emotions and connections to the liquid element. We respect it, we love it, we’re afraid of it. Listening to the new Exit Bags record we can surely assess some of these elements too - at first spin we will surely respect it for its artistic clairvoyance, when listening carefully we will probably love it for its emotional worth. Fear it we will never will, the only thing I would dread is if Michael stopped giving us such great records!
You can pre-order the record (which was mixed by drowse’ Kyle Bates, mastered by the wizard that is James Plotkin and one track was remixed by Midwife, see below) via Drongo (cassettes/CDs) or via Exit Bags’ Exit Bags’ Bandcamp page (digital format). A limited vinyl run is also planned, so be sure to follow Michael on BC! And now enjoy the amazing record!
Here is the video for the Midwife-remix of “Laundress”:
