Lovechilde Unveils Completely Unique Visuals For 'Séance for St. Sebastien'

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Words: Dave Beech

Brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Thomas Eliot Dodd and producer James Dashwood, Lovechilde are a genre-warping duo making post-punk at its most depraved and claustrophobic, whilst elements of motorik Krautrock, drone and tripped out electronica keep their sound from becoming too constricting.

Following on from two limited release 7” last year, the duo's debut LP dropped earlier this month, and 'Doorway to the Cesspit' is ten tracks (and three samples) that offers little in the way of the relent over the course of its 35 or so minutes, and as such isn't the easiest of listens. Even the vocal delivery of Dodd ranges from monotone spoken word, to deranged yelps and distorted seemingly psychedelic incantations, the latter of which most prevalent on closing track 'Dumb Kid', that, for all its pent up angst, also harbours an eastern flavour helped in no small part by the drones that shape it.

If the apocalypse were to have a soundtrack, then Lovechilde would almost certainly be the recurring motif; even the lighter moment's of the duo's repertoire, such as 'Grease', stir and bristle with a restless unease that's palpable beneath the glossy funk guitars of the track in question, which in turn does little to lessen the blow of following track 'Vile Jelly', which quite literally shakes with industrial neurosis and punishing, off-kilter synth hooks.

Much like the album from which it's taken, 'The Seance of Saint Sebastian' feels like a stark expression of paranoia. Its accompanying monochrome video, a smoke-shrouded Lynchian nightmare, made on a variety of different mediums, is as captivating as it is haunting; reverse-exposures of insects and crossbows are juxtaposed against a digitally crafted torso, in turn paired with real video clips and photographs. It's no easy watch, with no discernible narrative as such and perhaps only a slight notion of one thinly woven in to its psychedelic threads. But it's the perfect accompaniment to the track, and the album from which it's taken is, off course, no easy listen.

Whilst Lovechilde obviously won't appeal to those of a weaker disposition, those who like their music to offer a challenge will appreciate the sheer force and violence their latest offering harbours. And whilst last year's single releases might have shed a little light on the enigma that is Lovechilde, 'Doorway to the Cesspit' extinguishes it entirely, throwing its listeners in to a cacophonous k-hole of psychedelic harmonies, relentless percussion and an ever-present feeling of dread that's difficult to shake long after the closing moments of it's final sound-byte have etched themselves on to your consciousness.

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