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From<\/strong> Darlington, County Durham As the internet spits out underground artists like mouthwash, it\u2019s becoming harder to separate the visionaries from the vibe-hackers. But Pollyfromthedirt\u2019s jagged pastoral pop demands more than just a passing scroll. Released independently this week, the County Durham native\u2019s first EP clashes brass band samples, shuddering Midi strings and awkward acoustic guitar together. There\u2019s a trace of Elliott Smith in his grey-skied songwriting, yet made entirely his own by the crude drum machines, pitched-up vocals and DIY production. At best, like the EP\u2019s weirdest track, Kalm, the music departs from traditional song structure and coalesces into delay-steeped, swirling ambience.<\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t share his real name and often performs masked, channelling a healthy dollop of Dean Blunt in both vibe and sound. His most immediate peers, though, might be his fellow UK vanguards Worldpeace DMT, Westside Cowboy<\/a> and Aya<\/a>. His witty realism cuts through in a crowded scene: new song Theres No Such Thing as England subtly riffs on the country\u2019s growing right-wing nationalism as a metaphor for jilted romance and suburban bleakness \u2013 \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as England \/ There\u2019s no such thing as us to me\u201d \u2013 while A Weekend in Majorca lets those same feelings dissolve on a classic package holiday: \u201cI\u2019m a lover, I\u2019m a brawler \/ For a weekend in Majorca.\u201d<\/p>\n His descriptions of cold nights, broken-down cars, weird neighbours and teenage escapism all feel foggily familiar \u2013 attempts to reconfigure the frayed edges of memory from nostalgia into something new. Archie Forde<\/em><\/p>\n
Recommended if you like<\/strong> Blood Orange, Dean Blunt, Elliott Smith
Up next <\/strong>The Dirt Pt 1 EP out now<\/p>\nThis week\u2019s best new tracks<\/h2>\n