S. Latham proves that artists should be poisoned by carbon monoxide more often.
By Kristoffer Hilmarsson
The upcoming Ep ‘Letters From Suburbia’ give us ‘Gashouse’ with Stevieray Latham and his backing band The Nomads of Industrial Suburbia. It’s said to be written by the artist himself and some good friends under the influence of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The song spread its feet with a steady drumbeat and guitar licks bedded in a reverse delay that brings your soul back to the 60s. Before the main riff begins and when your whole body is relocated to said time. The song was recorded in Latham’s friend’s studio; a wooden shed with an old gas heater, and I believe that you can hear that setting in this production. The overall sound of the song got a warm feel to it. Like when you’re stuck inside your head, it’s comfy with no one there, a feeling that I’m quite easily drawn to.
As Stevieray and he’s fellow art-student-friend spent some time in the studio, writing ‘Gashouse’, they all caught a feeling of drowsiness. But nothing to be said about that. The song needed to be done, a feeling that any hard-working artist can relate to, and Latham and he’s friend went on to write a sweet laid back 60s song with an enticing dance-feel to it.
Although the lyrics are a bit repetitive and doesn’t encourage the theme of the song any deeper I would say that it is the overall feel to it that grabs its listeners. It’s really pleasant, the melodies are fun and interesting and you don’t have to be to detailed-focused, the details that deserve to be noticed is thrown at your face and complements the song with a playful touch. Like when in the second verse the word ‘mine’ is performed with a staccato feel and breaks of the melody splendidly. It grabs your attention. It’s that part, and others with it, that made me want to write about this song in the first place.
As the friends got to the end the drowsiness had become more present and the song emerges into a psychedelic instrumental part before the gang only was capable of slamming the main riff and leaving us with several choruses. The rest of the night was spent at the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.
Isn’t it great that we have this song as a fruit of their evening?
The Music Files 