The Agency… – Harbour Song (2024)
Known for their dark, eclectic, obscure sound, UK-based The Agency… finds the lines between folk, indie-rock, post-rock and post-punk, then blurs everything in a kaleidoscopic swirl of ethereal sound. Beginning as the brainchild of singer-songwriter Steven K. Driver, then joined by Steve Beyer (guitar), Andy Ludbrook (bass), Garry Cosgrove (drums), and Scott Wall (piano), the off-kilter fivesome is anything but pedestrian. With a distinctive concoction of dystopian sounds and gothic themes, there’s a bit of melancholy in The Agency…; however, as the tragedy emerges, so does an oddly inspiring comfort peeking beneath the “narratives of misanthropy and existential confusion”.
Following the well-received 2021 track ‘Poor Robin’, ‘Harbour Song’ is The Agency…’s first release in three years. Upon hearing ‘Poor Robin’, I imagined the new track to lean toward a vintage post-punk sound with ethereal trimmings; that isn’t exactly what I found in ‘Harbour Song’. Whimsy and haziness linger, however, an evolution to a sound lying between the wispy fog of post-punk and the shimmering glean of indie-folk with touches of indie-rock slipping along is what I hear. Well, something along that line. The Agency… is an experimental group and it’s difficult to pin their sound down with its inimitable obscurity.
Weaving their sophisticated magic through ‘Harbour Song’, producers Ludbrook and Malcolm Jackson present a melody that is atmospheric, raw, tender and kinda creepy (but in a good way). Kaleidoscopic in the combination of piano, guitar, bass and drums, then again rather simplistic as the chilly vocals stand out with bold individuality. Joined by Elise Shields and Rosa Thomas from The Samphires, a push-and-pull conversation exists between Driver’s baritone and their haunting vocals.
While the single is open to interpretation, The Agency… creates a “mesmerising blend of music that embodies the spirit of the myth of Hero and Leander…” A divine tale of lovers, ‘Harbour Song’ captures the pain, despair and tragedy through a skin-chilling song.
In addition to the single, The Agency… released an official music video for ‘Harbour Song’. You can view the video below and on their YouTube channel.
Find out more about The Agency… on their Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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