London duo high jump returns with their enchanting new single ‘Tide Away’, featuring guest vocals from Jamie Maier (Tungz). Released via Tip Top Recordings, ‘Tide Away’ offers a tantalising glimpse into the pair’s forthcoming debut EP.
Composed of Harry Martin and Rick Holland, high jump has been steadily carving out their niche with their ethereal blend of electronic-indie-dream-pop. Weaving together intricate guitar and synth melodies over hypnotic beats, the pair have already gained acclaim for their unique auditory experience.
‘Tide Away’ sees high jump delving deeper into downtempo, melancholic elements of their music, relying more on atmosphere and emotion that in their previous releases. Built around minimal, boxy drums, swelling synth and bright reverb soaked, twinkling, trilling guitar lines, Maier’s soulful lead vocals add to the emotive approach of the track, complementing the band’s lush instrumentation and giving the tracks subtlety a sense of drive and direction.
As the track opens into the second verse, the track gradually picks up momentum before closing with a euphoric, spine tingle inducing climax, emphasising the Mount Kimbie-come-Maribou State undertones which characterise high jump’s sound.
Speaking about the single, the duo explain: “Harry started Tide Away at the piano in early 2023 having spent time listening to artists like Frank Ocean and James Blake.
Unusually determined to finish the song before getting distracted by production ideas, the track maintained its intimately first-person narrative feel. The melody needed a steely vocal to cut through the subtle arrangement, so Jamie Maier of the band Tungz kindly lent some grit to the offering. In the mixing process, the embryonic piano was replaced by fingerpicked guitars, dueling over an increasingly moody backbeat – inspired by Big Red Machine and Bon Iver – and leaving space for Jamie’s soaring vocal.
Lyrically, we drew upon similar themes to our previous single CLIIAL: over-nostalgia and reconciling our view of the world as children with our view of the world in adulthood. A morning run along the beach during a trip back home was the visceral inspiration for Tide Away, as it seemed to encapsulate that conflict between the ‘places I remember’ and the range of sentiments they induce.”
Listen below:
