dark chamber pop for the faint of heart
Part 2 of the Withered Hands interview is out now, and you’re in for a few surprises. Most importantly, this show will feature two exclusive previews of new, as-yet unreleased tracks from The Real Redeemer, my electronic project! And that’s not all: I had the honour of editing the audio for this one and try to give it a slightly different feel and polish. This has turned into a full-blown collaboration and, as such, a really rewarding experience. Enjoy!
Back in August, I had a very long and open talk with Tom at Withered Hands Podcast, touching on a wide variety of subjects. Today, part 1 of the show is finally out. Sidetrack Walker fans are in for a treat, so be sure to check it out and let me know what you think! Also keep an eye out for part two, which will follow shortly. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Tom for taking so much time and being incredibly open-minded and kind.
While you’re here, why not drop by the press section to see the reactions to The Art of Starvation so far?
The new Sidetrack Walker album, ‘The Art of Starvation’, is now available from all music services. Be sure to get the limited CD, too (100 pieces)!
Special thanks go out to the State Capital of Kiel for being kind enough to sponsor this project financially.
First press reactions:
“abundant with dark, sparkling jewels of Chamber Pop“
Kai-Peter Boysen (Kieler Nachrichten), 20.05.2020. Read the full article (German)
“[W]hat blew me away the most about Will to Leave was the sheer distinction. Sidetrack Walker’s tendency to pull from a myriad of genres […] allowed their sound to spill an alchemic amount of atmospheric intensity.”
Amelia Vandergast (A&R Factory), 15.05.2020. Read the full review
‘The Art of Starvation’ is now live on Bandcamp. As previously announced, the album download will be free of charge for a limited period of time. You can also pre-order your copy of the CD edition now. It will be limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, so don’t hesitate too long.
The regular release date for other platforms as well as for the CDs has been set to May 22. Remember, however, that I can give no guarantees regarding the CD shipping date; pressing is still delayed due to conditions beyond my control.
I sincerely hope the new album can offer some distraction, comfort or inspiration to some of you during these uncertain times.
The Instagram users among you already know by now: the title of the new Sidetrack Walker album is “The Art of Starvation”. It’ll be released soon, so stay tuned! Here’s the tracklist:
1. The Odd Moment
2. Only Silence Knows My Name
3. To Invite the Haunting
4. Broken Heartbeats
5. Worlds Collide
6. Wake-Up Call
7. Off Limits
8. Missing Pages
9. Last Line of Defence
10. Will to Leave
11. The Host
Due to the pandemic, I have decided to forego the usual promotional phase preceding the album release. As soon as the final masters are done, the new album will be made available for digital streaming and download (free of charge) through Bandcamp. With so many of you adapting to a secluded life at home, now is not the time for additional, avoidable delays. CD pre-orders will commence at the same time, and I will ship those as soon as I receive the CDs from the pressing plant. Services such as Spotify will still require a regular release date, however.
The album artwork will be revealed on Instagram in nine parts, one per day. Naturally, you will also know the album title when the mosaic is complete. The individual images will be accompanied by one track title each. Follow Sidetrack Walker on Instagram now to keep track!
Time to embrace the haunting: the new single is out now! You can expect an equally haunting new full-length early next year. Reason enough to look forward to 2020! Until then, I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy listening to “The Host” as much as I enjoyed making it. And do check out the amazing remix by Strukt. Best wishes to everyone from the Sidetrack Walker camp!
December 27 will see the release of a new Sidetrack Walker single, “The Host”. It is a sign of things to come for 2020: the song will re-appear on the upcoming full-length early next year with a slightly updated mix. Apart from a full version and a radio edit of “The Host”, the single will also contain a remix by Strukt, an electronic project by none other than Andre Jonas. He was the mixing engineer for “Come What May” and also mastered the single. Prepare for some surprises in what is clearly the darkest Sidetrack Walker material to date!
Confessions in Silence, a collection of piano improvisations from 2014/2015, is now available through Bandcamp for streaming and download. You can also find it at all common streaming/download services (Spotify, iTunes etc.). The Bandcamp album download includes a PDF with liner notes as well as a bonus track. It’s free, but of course you can support future releases from Sidetrack Walker with a sum of your own choosing. Enjoy!
Thanks a ton to Andre Jonas (www.andrejonasmusic.com) for his patience and hard work with the mastering.
Note that this is not a regular ‘core’ release for Sidetrack Walker, and not representative of the upcoming material. It is, however, an interesting snapshot of my musical development as well as a very authentic offering due to the absence of any kind of conscious arrangement.