Cherophobia

Small Black Arrows

Single Review

One thing that has both amazed and reassured my passion for discovering new music has been the utter resilience of independent artists. Struggling the most with the shut down of live shows, restrictions on recording studios (once they re opened), and dealing with the poor excuse for payments streaming services offer, it is easy to see how many musicians could have been driven  into hanging up their instruments and ‘re-training’. Instead, these grass roots artists stepped up to the challenge and in many creative ways they’ve thrived, discovering new ways of expressing their music. Small Black Arrows are a shining example of this creative evolution.

By embracing their limited resources to create and record, this musical duo of Luke Bailey and Jimmy Hanley adopted an alternative method in writing their debut release. ‘Cherophobia’ is the first of three consecutive releases that form a digital EP called The Wave. With each track the duo experimented with song structure and instrumentation. The end result is akin to both Radiohead and Gomez collaborating under the guidance of Neil Young. Each track embracing elements of everything from acoustic pop, to trip-hop, and everything in between.

Taking a focus on ‘Cherophobia’ as it is the first release from the EP as well as the debut single for Small Black Arrows you immediately get a glimpse into their creative ethos for the project. By combining a haunting vocal harmony and synth pattern with a warm, yet almost bluesy guitar phrasing the track becomes something fresh and new while at the same time sounding timeless and familiar. A contradiction I know, but beautiful one that only music can achieve.

What possibly aids in this acceptance of the contradiction is the theme of the song. At its core it is a song about the hopelessness one can feel and how it can be so easy to believe that you are immune to being happy, as though it is an emotion only felt before reality truly sinks in. An amazing image painted in the song is the line “….Look upon joy, as though it is a broken toy….” This one line captures the soul and true essence of the emotion behind the composition. Raw, unblemished passion is what drives this song, and each note and line emphasises this.

Overall though this is just the first taste of what is to come over the next few weeks, I have to say that I fully recommend keeping your eyes open for the next two tracks. ‘Pathway to Contrition’ and ‘The Wave’ are again evidence of Small Black Arrows creative experiment and songs steeped in passion and well thought out expression. It is something off the beaten track that will lead you to a picturesque soundscape that you never considered existed.

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