Tusks

TUSKS (Emily Underhill) releases her debut LP Dissolve, with One Little Indian records on 13th October. Crafted with co-producer Brett Cox, the album is a sonically alluring piece of sound art that bleeds into the mainstream world. The ten track offering not only can fill spaces with a landscape of cinematic style, it is crafted so that it can also give a feeling of isolation, with its echoey, haunting spaciousness.

‘For You’ the maiden track upon this auditory vessel, chimes with heavy piano chords that give a slow and heavy heart beat. Emily’s warped youthful soprano voice injects in and out. The kind of track you’d want to listen to after you have spent the whole night awake, watching dawn break into day. Throughout this album the non-lexical vocables (the oohs and ahhs) are really present and an integral part of what makes these collection of songs so enthralling. This is particularly present in ‘False’. Perhaps it is the simplicity of this style of music, but they stand out and create texture; not disappearing into the wall paper of the song, like you would expect.

‘Dissolve’ – the albums’ title track is also expansive and atmospherical. A product of its delicate minor chords. The song, like many others on the album ends rather abruptly, which gives more of a weighty feel as the song leaves you. But when done as often as it has on this album, these abrupt endings lose their currency. It’s a good song (most recently remixed by Peter Lyons) but it is certainly not the jewel of the crown. ‘Toronto 1’ has grit. Flirting with a classic sounding indie bit of guitar work, it gears you up. Along with the breathy vocals and echoing bass. Definitely one for the headphones. ‘London Thunder’ the last track of the album leaves us with a more soulful and sensual offering. It includes a warped electro-sounding bass guitar. With Emily’s voice being driven in different directions but all in the same area code.


The album is a true piece of auditory splendour. Its vocal production techniques give a supernatural quality, along with the movielike soundscapes. Similar to the likes of Chet Faker, London Grammar and even a slight bit of Warpaint. Underhill has managed to create not only a uniqueness in sound but also in feel.