Swallow Point // Magnetic Northwest

Stephen Pelling (Magnetic NW) has been quietly wowing us at Stray Landings for a good few months. His collaboration with Mannheim Rocket on the ‘Magnetic Rockets’ EP, as well as a stream of intriguing and brilliant Soundcloud submissions has earned him this attention, but it’s his latest track ‘Swallow Point’ that has truly brought his music into its own.

As is usual for much of Pelling’s work, the textures and overall backdrop of Swallow Point is perhaps the most striking element of it. Pelling has described his work as ‘battered and bruised sounds from somewhere up north’, which is an apt description, particularly for this track. The grainy complexion of the production, as well as the interweaving sombre strings, manages to create an aura of sinister fog that envelops the metallic clunks throughout. This creates an interesting dynamic between the mathematical precision of the percussion, and the unbounded wideness of the ambience, which is what makes the sound so unique.

Having only played a handful of shows, Magnetic NW has lots of room to develop, and fortunately a full-length LP is apparently in the works. Personally, I think his sound will translate very well to the album format and we can only hold our breath so to see what other wizardry he can conjure.

• Published
• Jun 8, 2013

• Credits
• Words by Georgie_McVicar