After being introduced to Psychologist just over a month ago, with his fantastically poignant video for Comes In Waves, documenting a bizarre yet moving situation. The track itself forms the centre piece of his debut EP Waves of OK, and showcases the song writing ability Psychologist has. Almost solely driven by a magnificently elegant piano; comparisons will no doubt be drawn to James Blake, however there’s a level of honesty and a storytelling trait that Blake fails to portray in many of his tracks.
Together Clinging forms an introduction to Waves of OK, five minutes of static, murmured voices and static set the tone for the minimalistic feel found in the rest of the tracks. A skill which is becoming undeniably useful in modern music is the power to manipulate silence; a method Blake uses to phenomenal advantage in his live sets, and it’s shown just as brilliantly here. The chasms of endless silence that haunt Untitled (A Possession) demonstrate this expertly, allowing the listener to breath their own form of life into the gaps between the almost shrieked vocals.
It’s the intricacies that make Waves of OK such a fascinating listen, it’s holds a beautiful insight into the mind of a fractured soul, whilst relying solely upon it’s emotionally fragility’s. Song to the Siren continues in a similar vein to Comes in Waves, a no strings attached ballad, just yearning to be performed in an acoustically perfect concert hall. Despite Waves of OK being a debut release, it’s intoxicating in it’s divine appeal, without Psychologist limiting his range to any one genre. Check out the stunning video for Comes in Waves below.
Comes In Waves from psychologist on Vimeo.