We are honoured to premiere the sonically arresting track ‘A Savage Goo’ from Dublin’s Let’s Set Sail: an enigmatic folk-infusion set on a bedrock of gurgling electronica and haunting vocals.
Singer Warren McCarthy’s voice opens the track: naked and raw, a worn, whiskey-soaked gravelly tone infused with the heartache of generations. This is beautifully counterpointed by the restless stream of ambient music (courtesy of Ian Dunphy’s ambient electronics and pianist Rob Molumby) flowing beneath. The track is illuminated by the celestial backing vocals contributed by Marion Hughes that shines an incandescent light over the whole.
‘A Savage Goo’ is a meeting of dream pop, ambience and folk – perfectly fused by Let’s Set Sail into something with presence and an ethereal beauty.
The band says of the track:
…with A Savage Goo we wanted to let the main vocal shine. Harmonically it’s pretty simple, but as more
elements are introduced the song builds to a satisfying climax. The lyrics are again very literal and narrative. The
song sets the scene of some morning tippling in Amsterdam. The context is light and comical at first, but an
unexpected phone call brings a sense of gravitas and mortality to the situation.
The band has captured something quite unique and distinctive:
‘A Savage Goo’ is out on 10 September 2021 and available now to pre-save here.
It is the second single to be released from Let’s Set Sail’s upcoming EP Enzo, due for release on 1 October 2021, available to pre-save here.
Every song on the EP is about, or at least refers to, a particular location imbued with passion and politics. According to the band:
The first two refer to locations in Spain – Toledo and Madrid. Warren’s girlfriend was living there a few years ago, so these songs were formed following his visits to her. A Savage Goo is set in Amsterdam but is essentially focused on an appreciation of friends from home, and being relieved and happy that they are well. Our Collective Brain and The Vee are songs about Ireland. Both songs combine a declaration of love and a statement of condemnation towards life in Dublin, and Ireland as a whole. The negative aspects were influenced by current social and economic issues in the country, particularly the housing crisis. The positivity and hope contained in both songs is formed from an unshakeable attachment to home, and considering there to be a beauty in that.
