Givan Lötz’s haunting folk plays like a flickering specter, some transmission echoing between the fringes of conventional and inter-dimensional time. Based out of Johannesburg, South Africa, the talented Lötz has a bunch of quality tracks available on his Soundcloud. Despite his gorgeously accessible songwriting, his aim is relatively complex. “I am an artist because I am uncertain. The moments of obsession involved in my process of art-making aspires to achieve a mood of catharsis,” he says. “I have a desire for innovative and dislocating descriptions of life through a willingness to confront it in all its contradiction and complexity.” That description is a mouthful, but his songs are more tempered. The gorgeous “Galaxy” rides on gentle guitars that move at a placid pace, patient for all incoming developments — like that of Lötz’s haunting quiver, which takes a page from the emotive folk of American Music Club and Red House Painters. Another beautiful additive comes via the slight murmur of strings, with very subtly adorned instrumentation that adds nicely to the track’s frail beauty. Several fascinating samples become involved in the second half as the strings become slightly more prominent, even as Lötz maintains his deeply sobering vocal lead.
Givan Lötz is a supremely talented songwriter with a gift for subtlety and darkly invigorating soundscapes. You won’t hear many new artists even attempt such a dark vein of folk, but here Lötz succeeds in grand form. Do yourself a favor and check out all his tracks on Soundcloud. Two more stunners, “Tongue” and “Carolanne”, can be streamed below:
Thanks a lot for that.
Really stunning.