London-based artist Margot White precedes her forthcoming album with “Cruelest Pill,” a compelling debut single recorded at Brighton’s Salvation Studios with acclaimed engineer and producer Phill Brown. Written and co-produced by White, the track brings together shoegaze-inspired guitar textures and atmospheric alt-pop with a literary sensibility shaped by her parallel work as an award-winning poet.
A hauntingly spacious soundscape flows initially, with eerie guitar twangs and subtle glimpses of brass moving into White’s riveting vocal presence. She emits a balance of ghostly intrigue and swelling emotion, fondly reminiscent of Mazzy Star as the title-bearing vocal refrain hits past the one-minute mark, delighting amidst a rumbling guitar presence and twinkles of synths. The chugging, delectably dark momentum culminates in heavier distortion as intensified vocals just before the second minute arrives. “The cruelest pill, I know it well,” White’s vocals resonate there, strongly impactful in its escalation.
The following minute continues to revel in gradual expanses of guitar layers, echoing shoegaze influences especially in the slight melodic shift around the three-minute mark, heightening the pitch seamlessly as White’s vocals continue to emit “I know it well” with spine-tingling precision. A nocturnal, stylish success spanning shoegaze and alt-pop with sophisticated artistry, “Cruelest Pill” is an excellent single from Margot White.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
