Rising Indie-Folk duo Arliston share their latest the sad beauty ‘What Did I Think Would Happen’, the opening track from the upcoming album Disappointment Machine.
With a repertoire of beautifully restrained tracks which bring piano, subtle electronics and intimate, emotionally driven, often falsetto vocals, the duo have built a big listenership for their gentle, chilled and heartfelt soundscapes.
The new single is no exception, bringing more of the warming melancholy that stylises their sound. Rich with glitching electronics, muted piano tones and dual high and low octave vocal melodies, the track is instantly reminiscent of Bon Iver with it’s sonic approach and heartfelt, poetic lyricism. Like much of their catalogue is subtle, nostalgic, cinematic and above all else, utterly captivating and affirmingly moving.
Vocalist Jack explains: “This is one of my favourite songs on the album. We captured something that was very raw and at the same time feels gentle and intimate. It’s one of the hardest things to do: capture a strong emotion without screaming and shouting. But, with this one we managed to very lightly hold this poignant thing in the palm of the hand and express it with not much more than a whisper.”
As George summarises: “This song is an exercise in restraint, we tried adding lots of production, some of which stayed in as resampled. It was about finding the balance. It’s such an intimate song that we didn’t want to break that spell too frivolously.”
Warming, spelling binding and emotionally relatable, the track is a perfect introduction to the upcoming album.
