Winterlude is an occasional song outlet of Neil Brogan, better known as the singer and guitarist of Belfast’s perennial bittersweet janglers Sea Pinks (who released 7th album, Rockpool Blue, back in September).
But were Sea Pinks tend towards vibrant colour, Winterlude is a much more muted, understated prospect. Following on from 2015’s Four Songs, now available for the first time on all digital outlets, the two new songs on Winterlude II strip things right back. Brogan’s voice floats over a murmured Spanish guitar on ‘Thrown Chorus’, before pulling back to reveal a barren panorama of double tracked cello and skeletal piano. ‘Frozen Lake (Fade)’ is even more sparse sounding, just double-tracked, tape delayed voice and piano, skating over a repeated phrase, before tailing off into a long, unresolved fade out.
The perfect soundtrack to the current cold snap and one possible antidote to pre-Brexit apocalyptic angst, Winterlude II is available digitally from today. It’s also free to download for a limited time here.
