For the first time on Honey & Bass, I’m hosting a premiere alongside The Weekly Buzz feature. Not only will this consolidate some of my time, but also because this week’s release fully deserves the attention!
I’m so stoked to see Woven Thorns finally dropping some of her most anticipated tracks. Marking a year since a change of alias, enjoying a fresh start, she lands on the remarkably consistent Locus Sound. I don’t know what it is with these guys, almost every producer I discover, every producer that anchors themselves into my regular rotations, they always seem to snap them up for a killer EP. Lets just say we both have exquisite taste! For LOCUS014, Woven Thorns delivers a trio of devilish, horror-led tunes. A soundtrack to your nightmares some might say, including today’s premiere, ‘Divine Violence‘.
As one of the most recognisable tunes of 2020, the EP’s title track ‘From Grace‘ explodes into action, the most volatile of the three. Unmistakably aggressive, ferocious barks battle against hums of chest rattling, distorted bass-weight pressure. The environment, cold and sinister, the tones, abrasive and as deep as it gets. ‘From Grace‘ is an absolute weapon of a track and a fierce introduction to Woven Thorns’ sounds of the occult.
It’s so good to see the following track and long time dub ‘Hollow Eyes‘ enjoy a release. A collaboration with ambiguous Dutch talent Nosq, I was lucky to get my hands on this a while ago and it has refused to grow old on me. Both producers are masters of the dark-arts and it cannot be anymore apparent here. Thudding, jarring kick patterns add to the increasingly unsettling ambience. Chilling tones and descending notes mark sub-zero temperatures, the foretelling vocal cut perfectly placed. The arrangement is particularly compelling, a tune that must be enjoyed in full, plenty of tension and plenty of evil.
Although today’s premiere ‘Divine Violence’ is the more placid of the three, it certainly doesn’t lack in power and force. Calming yet spooky arpeggios paint haunting ghouls and shadowy demons into Woven Thorns‘ horror-sphere, which makes a whole lot of sense when if you recognise the leading vocal sample, taken from the 1990 horror flick, ‘Jacobs Ladder‘ (I always feel clever when I recognise a sample!). There’s plenty of subtle details in the percussion, which, alongside the other elements, fleshes out a groove I could imagine Hopsin spitting on.
What’s likely to be Woven Thorns‘ most prominent release to date, ‘From Grace‘ EP is a perfect expression of her developing sound. A culminaton of her dark, spine tingling creations, at times unapologetically aggressive, other times graceful and emotive. Not only is this some of the darkest material to land on Locus Sound, but to land anywhere else this year.
LOCUS014 is out this Friday (25th September) and available to download here.
Check out Woven Thorns on Soundcloud.
Check out Locus Sound on Soundcloud.