audry – Kitsch and the Foible
Kitsch and the Foible
audry
October 7, 2024
July 20, 2020
Tracks in this feature
Tracks in this release
Gloggy begins Terry Bliss’s 3-track EP, a fairly simplistic drum beat immediately begins to veer into frantic sprays of percussion and noise. It sounds as though some sort of super fast machine is desperately trying to recalibrate its sensors as it finds itself locked in a small box room, the track lashes out before finding its footing with a heavy-handed, grime-inspired bass. Debris flies from every orifice of the track, voices are heard for a split second before being whipped up into syrup and spritzed over the far wall. But, in the midst of all the chaos, one can hear the glimpses of Garage and UK Bass that have influenced the sound. A lone voice uttering an inane ‘eh’ begins to become the focal point, echoing out past the chattering percussion. The bass snakes up and down in pitch, bloated and intimidating in its delivery, before the narrow spiky pathway the artist has set us on opens out into morose notes and gentle background noise. A piano trickles up and down a sad riff as we are left firmly plonked outside the heaving funhouse we were just ushered out of.
Kushty sticks to the melodious nature found at the end of the last track. Dulcet keys ping pong aggressively before being batted back and forth by each end of the beat. Soft vocal sounds echo out into an uncertain soundscape. Terry gives us a little respite from the inherent panic of Gloggy with this one, a straightforward beat propped up by a bassline that rumbles deep within the lower frequencies. Danceable rhythms collide with engaging melodic composition as mellow keys fly at us in reverse. Heartfelt piano resonates at the very front of the mix, a chilled non-threatening beat eases in. A completely different side to the artist is shown, favouring emotion and vulnerability over shock and awe.
The last track of the EP develops our understanding of the artist’s dynamic style even further. Fizzling bass sets out a sinister atmosphere, the initial beat instilled by Terry sounding like the ticking of a clock. This atmosphere is intensified as a villainous dull tone plays out, signalling that the aforementioned clock is ticking down. Another thudding note plays before we’re launched into a rhythm that writhes with this same calculated clockwork. Terry employs such a fascinating range of percussive sounds again, but for a more menacing cause this time. Facets of the beat sound like hammer against iron, other parts sounds like the footsteps of someone in pursuit of the listener. Another condemning note drones out towards the listener, drawing out a sickening feeling, like that harrowing affirmation that the shadowy figure is still very much outside the door of the horror film’s protagonist. Ominous bass concludes the track, as we are left with a feeling of deep unease.
At its most aggressive, Terry Bliss’s EP is a raging bull in a china shop, smashing priceless porcelain vases only to reset them perfectly a split second later and zap them into some amorphous sludge, ready to be formed into whatever takes the artist’s fancy. At its most heartfelt it sings with a knowing sadness and melancholia, precise and expert in its timing and delivery. The artist stakes a claim to a style that demands attention both for its shock value and its emotional depth.