PREMIERE: The Hundredth Anniversary – After I Was Thrown In The River
Forming in 2012 and having negotiated their way through a strong and well-received run of singles, splits and EPs, The Hundredth Anniversary‘s long-playing debut is now hotly anticipated. The Brighton three-piece have, however, mercifully spent the last 12 months writing and recording with producer Ben Hampson and the album, Sea State Pictures, will now follow the release of lead single, “After I Was Thrown In The River”. The track is inspired by Dave Eggers‘ story of almost the same name, After I Was Thrown In The River And Before I Drowned, and as a result it comes from a peculiar yet specific place, temporally disorientating and curious in narrative voice.
It’s suitably sombre too, but its patience – nearly to the point of serenity (there’s an 80 second instrumental intro, for starters) – is only further unsettling. From there, singer Eleanor Rudge‘s life flashes before our eyes in softly spoken, vulnerable tones; those exclusively used to her work as part of noise-pop band Tyrannosaurus Dead will scarcely recognise her. Solemn bass chords elsewhere catch you square in the chest cavity as grey guitar chimes ring out clear as a bell. The percussion strikes a particularly heavy footfall as well, trudging through the middle passages as if caught in the heavy fog of the artwork. It’s all very English sounding too – a type of pastoral slowcore that burns like good quality charcoal and one that rumbles between dream-pop and mildly more rousing, yet still rather bleak post-rock really quite effortlessly.
Grab a listen below before the cold waters of the river subsume you entirely.
~”After I Was Thrown In The River” is released 16th September 2016 via Faking Jazz Together Records. The Sea State Pictures LP will follow.~