Hockeysmith is the musical outlet of Cornwall-based Annabel Hockeysmith. Since 2014, the artist has produced a catalogue of fantastic, disorienting dance music, draped in the dream-like textures of shoegaze. Her latest single “You’re Happening” is, as Annabel puts it, “a boozy smoochy number.” It’s got the haze of a night where everything starts to blend together – r&b vocals melting into lofi fuzz, wide washing synths stirred up by groovy percussion loops.

The song is produced by frequent Hockeysmith collaborator Lxury whose lofi, sample-driven dance music has caught the attention of folks like Disclosure. He lays back on this one – kick, snares, and typically crunchy percussion loops in no rush to land on beat. Annebel‘s vocals orbit the rhythms, dancing laps across the width of the stereo, at once hypnotic, psychedelic surrealism and tantalizing r&b anthem. Somehow something like an 80s pop ballad seems to slowly emerge from the depths of the song. The hook is absolutely undeniable, and when Lxury gives us a passage of saxophone it’s more George Michael or Sade than it is Parker or Coltrane.

The song’s vibe is so enthralling that you don’t always register its odd twists – the little snips in its fabric, like skips on a cd. Lxury‘s sharp-cut edits are jolts in your sleep, forgotten moments where you half-wake from the dream. He uses these to switch between grooves – what sounds first like a stutter is actually the kick in his next pattern. Annabel‘s vocal produces the same effect, shifting under your feet even as you sway with her melodies. You only register that she is repeating the line “baby now you cease” when she finally completes it – “baby now you cease / to exist.”

“I was a bit tipsy when I was working on the demo vocal,” says Annebel, “but we ended up keeping it. Some notes might be off key but that’s what I love about Andy as a producer, he manages to capture the authenticity in my songs without making it sound too polished.”

Hockeysmith initially formed as a teenage collaboration between Annabel and her sister Georgie. On 2014’s debut EP But Blood, the pair blended shoegaze with acid house and emerged with an ethereal collection of psychedelic atmospheres. The group evolved in the years since, as they immersed themselves in Cornwall’s post-rave culture. Now mostly a solo act, Hockeysmith continues to explore original bewitching, hypnotic sensibilities, but her music feels less genre-bound. She slides between odd ball electro-pop, modern psychedelia, and her first love; the undeniable shoe-gaze of MBV, Cocteau Twins, and Sonic Youth.

Produced by one of our personal favorite artists Lxury, there was no doubt about the pop banger that this would be. He has worked with successful band Years & Years, Feist, and more recently with LA Priest with their collaboration “Show.” “Wilfire” is an aggressively catchy song, with a strong chorus reminding much of the British pop songs that stick in your heads forever. The duo took some time to answer to our questions about their previous collaborations, working with Lxury and the EP that should be released in 2017.

Highclouds: Can you introduce yourself to our readers that don’t know you yet?

We are a new duo that’s spent the last few years in the shadows, writing songs for other artists and DJs. Now we’re getting ready to release some of our own songs into the world.

You have made a lot of collaborations. Can you explain your musical career and what are your influences?

We travelled a lot around Europe, writing songs with some amazing producers and DJs. Now we’re pretty close friends with a lot of them. We even collaborate on songs via whatsapp.

We have a varied taste in music, which comes from collaborating with so many people from different genres. Some of our favourite artists are bands like 1975, Chvrches, Bon Iver, and we also have an appreciation for the commercial side of pop music.

“He is a genius. He has such a distinctive production style” – Bright Sparks about working with Lxury.

How would you describe your music?

We’ve been described as making “organic dance pop”. Something between Years & Years and Feist.

What can you tell us about your track “Wildfire”?

“Wildfire” is actually quite a sad song, despite it sounding fairly upbeat. It’s about rejection – you’ve got that ‘Wildfire’ running in your blood for someone, but they’re always playing hard-to-get and throwing obstacle into the mix.

This track was produced by Lxury. How was it working with him?

He is a genius. He has such a distinctive production style, it was a lot of fun collaborating finding a new sound that worked for both of us.

What can you tell us about Bright Sparks first EP?

It’s been a long time in the making, we’re very excited to finally be releasing it out into the world. It’s a collection of 4 songs which are very personal to us as a band. There’s something everyone will be able to relate to.

Do you have any song to recommend us right now?

We’ve had “Sexual” by Neiked on repeat for weeks now.

You can follow Bright Sparks on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.

UK dance producer Lxury has linked with former Late Of The Pier frontman Samuel Eastgate, aka LA Priest, for a new electro-pop song titled “Show”. The track is a dancefloor filler combining funky vibes and four to the floor house beats with Eastgate‘s smooth croon. It also comes with a video, courtesy of Eoin Glaister, in which the two artists are chilling on the grass with dogs coming to sniff around. Watch and listen below.

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