mt. doubt - soak
Jonny Elswood
Yet unfatigued from the very recent release of a beautifully crafted debut album, St Andrews' own Leo Bargery has brought us a fresh glimpse of his abilities under the moniker of Mt. Doubt with the new single Soak. It is, indeed, another quiet beast. Every bit as ethereal, brooding and lyrically eloquent as its preceding album, Soak combines Bargery's now experienced song construction with more of the familiar deep drums and airy guitar work heard on previous tracks, all to create a sonic space somewhere between tenderness, reverie and anxiety - a place very few artists, especially of Bargery's generation, demonstrate the ability to build.
Aided in the instrumental recording only by Edinburgh producer Mark Morrow, who plays bass guitar on the track, Mt. Doubt proves again that this promising pathway into the thriving and renowned Scottish indie scene continues to be not only musically mature, but also profoundly impressive. Leo caught up with us a while back to talk about the album, and he indicated that among many other things, the environmental settings of Scotland helped mould its sounds and ambience, and this seems to apply equally to the new single. Overall, it is certainly worth reiterating that, while Mt. Doubt can be interpreted to be reminiscent of innumerable contributing musical influences, what is being released is demonstrative of real, exciting originality. Download and listen to Leo's debut album, My Past Is A Quiet Beast below, also on Soundcloud.