We wrote about Pasture Dog’s Southern Gothic earlier this year, really appreciating how Alexa Masi used the Southern Gothic mood and imagery to explore modern-day issues like gender roles and sexual identity. As I wrote back then:
“Lots of music that is inspired by Southern Gothic fails to get past the weird-for-weird’s-sake sort of deal where oddity or perversity or violence is included because it seems to add indistinct depth, but… here, the strangeness is specific and targeted, cathartic confessional hymns to critique human behaviour and the good ol’ Social Norms it has created”
As you can probably tell, this not only makes Pasture Dog a great listen but also a perfect fit for our Quiet, Constant Friends compilation. Luckily, Alexa agreed and we are delighted to unveil ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge’ as part of our release. The song is inspired by the Flannery O’Connor story of the same name, a tale which holds significance for the message on Southern Gothic as a whole (I’ve written my thoughts here, if you are interested) but feel free to skip ahead and just listen below:
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2207221552 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=978186576]
The quite brilliant artwork in response to this track is by London-based illustrator William Exley. Check out all of his work on his website and follow him on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram.
You can pre-order Quiet, Constant Friends now via the Wake The Deaf Bandcamp page. Remember, all cassettes come with super-limited edition art print postcards, so be sure to get your order in. I mean, look at Mr. Exley’s work above. Wouldn’t that look good on your wall?