New Music: Surf Harp – Precious Decisions

If Precious Decisions is anything to go by, the upcoming Language is Lost album by Baltimore/Osaka art rock quintet Surf Harp is going to entertain and engage the listener in equal measure. And with a puppet in the video, maybe scare a few of us!

The song is a wonderful and strange mélange of sounds and moods, leftfield without sounding quirky. Inhabiting its own world of crooning vocals and stark lyrics, the mix of Americana, rock, mandolin and folk-oriented backing vocals all combine with ease. And most importantly, it makes sense sonically. I wonder what a whole album of this will be like, besides being an amazing and exotic listening experience?

The band says the song marks a significant departure sonically from their previous releases, even as it continues with themes familiar to them, “… challenging the constructs that determine our place in the post-modern economic reality… ‘If my glass is empty, why does his still have wine?’”

The video itself feels like a gothic body horror film transposed to a domestic milieu. Reveals the band, “The video depicts an intimate and isolated relationship, challenging the viewer to consider if the puppet is actually involved in the creative process or is merely a reflection of the artist that lies dormant within.”

Language is Lost is released on the 25^th of August via Shiny Boy Press and is currently up for pre-order in digital, clear vinyl, and cassette formats on Bandcamp. For information on the album and more listening options for Precious Decisions, then check out Surf Harp on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok.