Following up on his EP Feeling Of Unreality and the disconcerting accompanying visuals of “Dart“, Worcestershire’s experimental producer and multi-instrumentalist Kristian Shelley, aka Inwards, returns today with the first taste of his forthcoming sophomore album. A melancholic yet soothing track combining ambient modular synths with twinkling organic samples, “Tottertot” deals with the beauty of the micro as it mimics the palpitations of a heart that speeds up and disrupts when facing a specific emotion. This particularly introspective inspiration is actually no surprise as Shelley has often used his soundscapes to express his feelings and states of mind when words fall short.

“Tottertot” also marks the first release where the artist experiments with his own voice. Here, the atmospheric layers of vocals are drenched in reverb and act as a pad in the backing track. “I remember making this tune when I first got a microphone,” explains Shelley about this new approach. “It’s my voice, it’s a bit sketchy because I’m not really a singer but I can hit a few notes.” Listen below.

Worcestershire’s multi-instrumentalist and modular synth programmer Kristian Shelley explores the far reaches of dance music with his music moniker Inwards. Signed on Small Pond since 2017, the producer has just released a 4-track new EP where electronic and acoustic instruments collide to give shape to thrilling yet emotional soundscapes. Opening his new project, the pulsating and melancholic “Dart” is all about resistance as Shelley explains:

[su_quote]The song is like fighting an unpleasant experience. Like the elephant is trying to run away but it can feel the dart kicking in. It gives me that solid melancholic rave feeling that I love. My friend Sam Organ described it as ‘Sad Rave’, which I thought was spot-on![/su_quote]

The glitchy track, which relies on The Field-like vocal samples from Rokorokubi‘s Rose Dutton, also comes with an odd, disconcerting video in which a character is inexorably fighting against some obsessive-compulsive disorders (or something that looks like that). Watch the Ali Gill-directed visuals below.

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