Photo by Ollie Hayward
London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Harlequiin has returned with the new track, ‘I Bet The Dealer Has Deleted Me’, collaborating with the vocalist (Paloma Faith, Florence And The Machine, Muse) and Soho Radio host NYM. The woozy, without-genre sound has a lilting electronica, spread across complicated harmonies and rhythms alongside unexpected instrumental choices. It’s minimal, yet full to the brim, sparse but tactile.
Smokey synth lines and punchy sub hits are decorated with pointed brass and string orchestration. Above that, hazy vocal lines that hypnotise and bewitch. There’s this slightly otherworldly sense to it, crossing this many musical paths, but it’s rooted in talent, and that comes across in spades.
Harlequiin shares, “We worked on this track about 4 years and always knew it had to see the light of day. We tried pulling it apart in different ways, adding middle 8s, tweaking harmonic moments in it- but overthinking sometimes drowns the spontaneity and authenticity in ideas. We decided to boil it back down to its raw simplicity. First thought-best thought, as they say! This is a track we’re both really proud of- and we wanted it to feel like this trippy little vignette, with that brooding energy.”
With NYM adding, “This song kind of sounds like I’m talking about a relationship between myself and another person but it’s actually about the relationship we have with our own mental health. Sort of like having a chat with yourself about ending your self destructive tendencies. It’s basically an internal monologue.”
This pair of versatile musicians has received plenty of critical praise apart, but this being their first collaboration to see the light of day, it hits it out of the park.
Listen to the latest from Harlequiin and NYM here:
