Competition is the recording project of Craig Pollard from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This release, clean eating, is Pollard’s first tape under the Competition moniker. Pollard uses the project to create experimental bedroom pieces, weirdo homebrew pop songs that are at times smooth and dreamy and while at others descend into jittery noise.
The dream-like French surreality of the intro gives way to the self-titled first track proper, over 8 minutes of lo-fi synth pop, Pollard’s vocals recounting repeated lyrics that read almost like a diary entry.
“I text to call you in Paris
you had an accident cycling
you got on the Eurostar to London
we played in London and you came”
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Pollard’s voice is almost feline on ‘Maya’, before the swaying, disrupted groove of ‘clouds’, which sounds almost steam-powered, clanking along over a reflective synth line. The vocals echo around like thoughts inside Pollard’s head; “I might get a dog”, he muses, “seriously though I’ll probably get a dog”. ‘plinth’ opens in a hive-like whine, slowly crystallizing into a shimmering pop song, the wordless vocals acting as another instrument in the mix. The track is a good illustration of the album as a whole, of the way Competition makes music that is undeniably lo-fi yet somehow makes sense, like a magic spell conjured from tape hiss and an automatic drum machine.
The closing track is the second to break the eight minute barrier, although if that sounds off-putting then rest assured it’s one of the poppiest, most accessible on the tape.
“Take my hand and you’ll see
take my hand and just follow me”
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You can get clean eating on glittery cassette tape or digital download via the Competition Bandcamp page. And if you like what you hear you can also check out Pollard’s other project, Rice Milk and his work with Good Food tapes and zines.
Cover art by Cecilia Serafini