A compelling single that touts an art-pop and folk entrancement, “Thin Places” comes via Saint Idiot, the project of Slovak-Canadian musician Tomáš Andel. The Edmonton-based artist crafts a sound with a glistening, evolving expanse — rousing from more contemplative folk settings into twinkling, multi-vocal harmoniousness; the eclectic tonal navigation and warming folk sentiments remind fondly of Sufjan Stevens, aesthetically.
The track comes via an upcoming EP of the same name, which grapples with how the “alleged age of hyperconnection,” conjures a unique sense of loneliness and anxiety. “Thin Places” develops with patient precision, as crisp acoustics resonate alongside the vocals. The first half stirs in its imagery of escape; “burn the boat that you sailed in on,” feels like a desire for solitude, away from the noise of hyperconnectivity. The “no one expects to be welcome at the doors of pain,” sequence is especially enthralling, as orchestral movements appear sporadically within powerful vocal reflections. “Thin Places” presents a ravishing listening experience.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
