Malcolm Pardon, one half of the experimental Swedish duo Roll The Dice alongside Peder Mannerfelt, is embarking on a new solo adventure. This time around Malcolm has moved much of the experimental electronic gear towards the background and focused on the piano as the central instrument on what plans to be a dark, macabre and intimate album.
The album is titled ‘The Abyss’ and it focuses on our human relationship with death. Malcolm Pardon aims to look at death as a lifelong acquaintance. It follows on from his 2021 solo album ‘Hello Death’ which also followed a stripped-back approach. Malcolm says that if ‘Hello Death’ was a solo artist, ‘The Abyss’ would be a band. Expect richer sound palettes but always grounded with piano and noise – like life and death as constants.
“There’s this constant dialogue we have with ourselves about how we’re going to die at some point. It’s like a constant companion, so you might as well get to know it, and befriend it.”
Malcolm Pardon on his forthcoming album ‘The Abyss’
New single ‘Enter The Void’ marries both the piano and the experimental sound design. The main melody is a circular slightly uneasy yet romantic piano refrain but bookmarking the track is a more violent and visceral harsh noise. This noise transitions into beautiful string arrangements that sound scorched and charred at times as if the noise has damaged the strings. It is quite haunting, stark and captivatingly beautiful to listen to.
Alongside this is an eerie and unsettling music video from Swedish director Oskar Wrangö. Oskar says the track strikes a fine balance between real darkness and simple beauty and that the video is a personal interpretation of the title ‘Enter The Void’. The video contains scenes some viewers may find disturbing. It is a very poetic work of art and complements the track perfectly.
Enjoy the single ‘Enter The Void’ below, it’s out now. Malcolm Pardon releases ‘The Abyss’ on 20th September. For more information on the album and all other Malcolm Pardon projects, visit his website.
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