It’s been a long time, but Sun 13 favourites Northwest are back! The duo have released new track Anomaly, their first new music for three years, and we couldn’t be happier!
Northwest are Ignacio Simón & Mariuca García-Lomas and they create some of the most beautiful music ever to grace our ears. Their music ranges from lush, expansive soundscapes to sparse, evocative electronica and, although I am loathe to make the compassion again, fans of This Mortal Coil and 4AD records would be well advised to spend some time listening to their music.
So far, Northwest have released two albums, called simply I and II. Their music stood out from the hundreds of links we get sent on a daily basis due to being different to anyone else around them. Ignacio’s instrumental treatments and Mariuca’s vocals come together to create something that operates outside of current fashions. Northwest are not making music to conform, they are creating art.
During lockdown, Ignacio and Mariuca both released solo albums that, due to a software failure, I have been previously unaware of – a situation I am remedying as we speak. They created several incredible video performances that kept the flame of Northwest burning and have since returned to Madrid.
Of the new track, Ignacio says “Last year we moved back to Madrid and recorded this song as soon as we got here, with the intention of getting back to Northwest and feeling in touch with the project again. After experimenting a lot with sounds, harmonies and recording techniques, we wanted to step aside and just do something beautiful and enjoy the whole process.”
Anomaly is indeed beautiful. Starting with a simple piano motif, Mariuca’s wonderful voice floats on the top of the song as it flows beneath her. The lyrics hint at saudade, a nostalgic melancholy for someone or something that is no longer here, with its chorus of “Now you want it back.” The song is verdantly orchestral yet sparse, if this is the direction Northwest are heading into, we look forward to further releases with enormous anticipation.
Unfortunately, the release of Anomaly does not mean another album is ready to follow. Instead, Northwest will be releasing more tracks, with a view to possibly recording a new album in 2024, after the single tracks perhaps coalesce into a sense of the direction the band want to travel in.
Until then, Anomaly will keep our hearts warm and our souls happy.
Anomaly can be bought here
Northwest can be found on Facebook here
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