Translating as Shadow Under Dominion, this four-track EP is driven by a fascination for the life of the soldier, and features programmed marching rhythms, huge vocal chants, patterns and crescendos, that blend something like tribal folk and Celtic refrains with intense drums, gritty declarations, and evocative chord patterns.
Comrade, March… Just March! is all of this, and sets the bar well for the exploration and celebration of unity that is the project in full. It’s a huge earworm of an indie folk arrangement, which would be all the more effective if performed live with some human imperfection, but actually, this track is far from the leading genre found throughout the EP.
Widertsand Ist Nutzlos (resistance is futile) follows, and we immediately enter a dark eighties EDM realm, with spoken vocals and a pulsating synth and rhythm section backing another story and scenes of short rhymes that roll towards a relatable and poetic sense of self. The track has an addictive core, with English verses and a German chorus making for another interesting pairing of historical and cultural influence.
Das Protokoll Ist Fundamental takes the house and techno beating heart further still, with whispered German vocals lightly guiding us through an intensely euphoric late-night electronic groove, and perfectly crafted production details lining the walls as the anticipation skilfully rises.
The emotional intensity is met well by the musical intensity of this track’s final third, and it’s another that feels both familiar and completely unexpected in its delicacy then power.
To finish, the older world vocal chants, melodies and marching rhythms meet with Celtic strings, for a deeply moving conclusion that’s epic then incredibly intimate and stripped-back.
The final quarter of Just Trying To Be is heart-breaking in its realism and historical relevance, something everything European town and village will recognise the sound of, the atmosphere and the vibe, and that’s a clever and rather magical, profoundly human way to wrap up this incredibly creative but also conceptually grounded EP from the elusive ShyScarf.
Find ShyScarf on Instagram, YouTube.
