Cumquat studio setup | photo courtesy of the artist
PREMIERE: Listen to Cumquat’s new single “The Bering Strait”
Local electronic artist Kevin Sul’s new project Cumquat alternates between atmospheric, melodic synthesizer tapestries and hard-hitting, abrasive electronic grit. His latest, “The Bering Strait,” splits the difference between the delicate “Consciousness is my Trigger” and the skittery “Cucumber” for a cut that’s poppy and pretty but with a fierce rhythm driving it forward.
Says Sul:
The title conjures a geographic area that was at one time a land bridge between two continents which are now isolated by water. Lyrically, the song deals with a this kind of once-open-but-now-closed situation that can occur between two people. The central idea is that by telling people they are wrong, or talking down to them, you never convince others to see things your way, you only create ill will. The song creates one of these scenarios gone horribly awry. Its pretty violent if you listen to the lyrics but it is in no way an endorsement of violence.
The song is built around a number of synth lines layered on top of each other. Some are digital, some are analog. The drums are actually really standard free drum sounds I found somewhere but a lot of them are put through a bunch of effects that end up sounding totally different.
Listen to “The Bering Strait” below, and be on the lookout for a full EP from Cumquat later this spring.