Formed in 2020 as a collaborative music project between writer and illustrator Ruairí McCann and writer and filmmaker Maximilien Luc Proctor, Two Nice Catholic Boys smudged the lines between avant-garde pop and spectral ambience on two LPs, Cities in Stitches and Seconds, last year. It’s a wonderfully rewarding arc that the McCann and Proctor – who are also both co-editors of the film and music website Ultra Dogme – pare back with aplomb on their label debut, Three Cheers for the Distant Observer. Out on 21st November via one of the island’s finest indie imprints, Bluestack Records, the four-track that sees the pair excavate minimalist new territory with a semi-improvised approach. Evoking moments of intimacy, confusion and clarity, it’s an M.O. that sits front and centre on the EP’s lead track, ‘Never Wonder’. Like a long-lost early Kranky release by way of Basinski circa Melancholia, the instrumental hits like a sweet threnody for uniquely uncertain times. Here, oscillating synth spectres and the peal of sunken bells stick to soft tape hiss like dandelion spores on a cardigan. Have a first look at Proctor’s suitably veiled visuals for ‘Never Wonder’ below and pre-order Three Cheers for the Distant Observer via Bluestack, Photo by Malkah Manouel