Single Review: Y.O.U.

Soul Circle describe themselves as a group of musicians dedicated to making music that touches the soul, and at least in this instance include Rhonda Hofmans (vocals), Chris Fish (guitars, keyboards, noises) and MPhatic (bass). The cover credits this release as featuring Moofish and Mphatic, so I really not much the wiser as to who Soul Circle actually are. As with many Bandcamp releases there are many musical tags at the bottom of the page to assist the listener in understanding how the band view their own music, and one of those is something I have never previously come across, namely “dronefolk”, but having seen that, it really is a perfect description.

Imagine Simple Minds being crossed with Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, with delicate elderly-sounding vocals, repeated piano chords acting as a drone and a guitar gently picking its way through the middle and then one may just get an understanding of just what this is like. There is a dreamy nature to it, and the song is incredibly atmospheric, bringing in elements of New Age, while the piano provides a backdrop that is both lulling and safe.

This is one of those songs which is a real grower, and has to be given the opportunity to get inside the brain, A nice number for the end of a Summer’s evening.