Staff Reviews

Mechanical Bride - Living with Ants

Review by Amanda Farah

Mechanical Bride has shown what she can do. Now it’s just a matter of her not selling herself short. »

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'living with ants', mechanical bride's debut album, is a defiant step up and sees her song writing blossom from the stark, black and white songs on 'part ii', into fully formed techni-colour flourishes. "i wanted to find the beauty and colour from dark places that exist inside and outside of ourselves, the title 'living with ants' means learning to co-exist alongside niggling issues and worries that we maybe create for ourselves". 'living with ants' is a stronger, more vibrant record and is testament to how much lauren has grown as an artist. 'living with ants' make up a patchwork of tales and fables and, much like the haunted fairy tales on 'part ii', the new album is rooted in escapism and fantasy. there is a strong animal theme on the album, with some of the songs and even the album title, having animals in its name. as with the opening track 'magpie', which begins with a sweeping piano, joined by lauren's gloriously stunning voice, reminiscent of singers form a bygone era. laced with sighing strings, soft trumpets and lightly brushed drums, it slowly builds to a beautiful crescendo. single 'colour of fire' is a stand out track, with lauren's voice once again tugging at your heartstrings as she sings around a swirl of piano and strings.
although mechanical bride shares her name with a dark american science-fiction play by fritz lieber jnr, the sinister nature of 'part ii' eps has been transformed like a butterfly, into the fully formed songs with lush arrangements, filled with colour and playful lyrics found on 'living with ants'. everything on the album was recorded using vintage valve equipment, which contributes even more to that fantastical sound, like that from a lost and forgotten world.
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