New Music: Silk – July

The music of Silk has found favour with the likes of tastemakers such as DKFM, and when you hear July, that’ll become easy to understand.

Helmed by Virgins guitarist/songwriter Michael Smyth, July revels in a sound he has described as ‘heavy gaze.’ Shoegaze is the prime mover behind the arrangement, but the vocals and percussion – and occasionally the lead guitar – bring a post-rock depth and layering to bear on the song. Melody is central, but so is an at-times fuzzy bass line, giving July a strong, individualistic identity outside classic shoegaze.

Says Smyth of the rationale behind his solo project, now expanded to a full setup for live appearances, “I constantly feel like I am rushing towards the inevitable infinite oblivion. Further exacerbated by the marking of years spent circling the sun. To that end, it’s important that I fill the time remaining with joyous, creative acts. The sharing of ideas is an essential part of that, which brings us to Silk.”

July is out now and streaming on Bandcamp and Spotify. Silk have live dates lined up in Belfast, Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and Drogheda in the coming weeks – head to Facebook and Instagram for details.