An enjoyably eerie track fit for the season, Simon Shackleton‘s “The Shadowmaker” builds an unsettling soundscape with chilly vocal and lyrical maneuvers — “you’ll be the undertaker, queen of ridicule” — amidst synth-laden swelling. Multiple vocal layers further the spine-tingling haunts as they assemble in referencing the shadowmaker and undertaker, reminding fondly of The Auteurs in its general tone. The atmospheric production inspirations of Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails also show.
The track precedes a forthcoming album, out in 2025 and also entitled The Shadowmaker; it marks a continued artistic expansion for the artist. “A lot of self-imposed creative restrictions and limitations have been lifted,” Shackleton says. “I’m now able to use every part of my creativity to craft very personal and meaningful music. The handbrake is well and truly off.”
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
