Staff Reviews

Andy Stott - We Stay Together

Review by George Bass

Despite its surface nastiness, We Stay Together is Andy Stott’s most natural sounding release to date, built on boiling seas, cave noises, jungle squawks, and some kind of new Antarctic sponge.»

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recorded in the immediate aftermath of his last ep "passed me by", this new doublepack from andy stott features six new productions that are more desolate and exposed than anything on its predecessor. the opening "submission" tumbles into being with layers of washed-out digital revolutions, creating an artificial landscape that's quite at odds with the analogue machinations that follow - yet somehow rendering the alienated feel of this material perfectly. "posers" nudges its way into being abruptly and embeds another squashed funk variant that's all low-lit neon and growling textures, awkwardly shuffling into a more robust 4/4 template suffused with sparkling percussion and disembodied vocals. "bad wires" is the centrepiece of the ep, a relentless percussive cluster*ck that belies it's slow tempo with a fearless rhythmic attitude. it's as immersive and narcotic as anything ever produced by stott - peeling away one layer after another with each repeated listen. "we stay together" (part one) was the first track written for the ep and offers a more spacious narrative and a more sparkling, hazy palette - culminating in a beautifully frayed central hook that's somehow in keeping with the vhs aesthetic of both jamal moss and ferris bueller.
"cherry eye" tumbles deep into a darkened hole before ep closer "cracked" turns up, fuelled by an odd mixture of adrenalin and sorrow to send you on your way.... buzzing and forlorn.
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