New York, NY (Top40 Charts) British-Somali poet, rapper and neofolk singer-songwriter Knomad Spock is delighted to reveal the official video for his new single �Gift� which is out now on all good DSPs.
Created by Hull filmmaker Luke Hallet, the gentle video evokes the ethereal healing power of nature, and its ability to awaken old memories and feelings - something many of us have found to be an irreplaceable balm during the pandemic.
As the natural world wakes from a long winter into the warmth and colour of spring, it feels perfectly timed to brush away the cobwebs in our own lives.
�When I first heard the track I was immediately inspired by the finger-picked guitar and the soothing sound of Knomad's voice,� says Hallet of working on the video. �It brought forward imagery of trees and leaves, with the sunlight shining through them casting dappled shade on the ground. The song made me feel warm and reminiscent of days past, bringing memories of places I would visit with my Grandparents.�
�I wanted the video to feel like one of those memories, or like being in a dream�fleeting moments of thought that suddenly drift to another place the more you focus on them. It was shot in first person, seeing the world how I see it. Rather than having any significant meaning, I simply wanted to create a piece that accompanies the sonic space and let the track speak for itself."
The track is the latest to be taken from Knomad Spock�s sublime and ambitious debut album, Winter Of Discontent, set for release on 23rd April 2021.
The album will be available on 12� vinyl via Hinterland Creative�a new label formed as part of LIFE drummer Stewart Baxter�s platform for creative projects, collaborations, artistic outlets, music, and design from a handpicked collective of northern artists.
Preorders are live now: https://knomadspock.bandcamp.com/album/winter-of-discontent
Currently based in Somaliland working on COVID-19 relief projects, KS recently recorded a stunning international live session for Janice Long on BBC Wales using field recordings from his time spent in the country, as well as a reworked live version of album closer �Maps� with a brand new poem written in Somalian.
In true lockdown fashion, the vocals were dialled in via iPhone, a process which took nothing away from the beautiful, intimate feel of the session�a real testament to the power of the songs.
Previously-released singles 'Papillon', �Egypt� and �Ballad� have picked up a ground-swell of enthusiastic early support from
Lauren Laverne and Tom Robinson at BBC 6music, John Kennedy at
Radio X, and Adam Walton at BBC Wales, alongside press from AFROPUNK, EQUATE Magazine, GoldFlakePaint, Buzz Magazine, Come Play With Me, For The Rabbits and more.
Debut album Winter Of Discontent is released 23rd April 2021 via Hinterland Creative.
Knomad Spock - Guitar, Vocals, Production
Jamie Smith - Mixing Engineer, Guitar, Mandolin, Autoharp, Percussion, Bass, Drums, Arrangements, Production
Tim Debney (Fluid Mastering) - Mastering Engineer
Recorded and Mixed - St. Mary's Space, Appin, Scotland.
His first neo-folk release, Knomad Spock�s genuinely stunning forthcoming debut album is a raw and majestic expression of artistic vulnerability; a genre-blending artistic statement of intent. With comparisons to Kid A-era Radiohead, Grizzly Bear's Yellow House, a backstory to parallel Bon Iver's For Emma Forever, and the forward-thinking production of Frank Ocean, the record is as interesting as it is beautiful.
KS wrote the spine of the album over a period of ten years, in between and during working in the Middle East, Muay Thai training in Thailand, training to join a Sufi Order in East Africa, learning Spanish in Andalucia and moving between Hull, Cardiff, London and Bristol in the interim.
These songs were never supposed to be recorded, but after a particularly severe episode of depression, KS booked a cottage for a fortnight on the Isle of Lismore, and at the very last minute decided to take his guitar with him. While on the island, KS claims that a series of mystical experiences transformed the songs and their lyrics. He then booked himself into the nearest studio, which happened to be Jamie Smith's St. Mary's Space.
KS and Smith hit it off immediately, and within four days of recording, Smith had produced an album featuring drums, bass, intricate orchestral arrangements and additional effects. KS puts it down to providence: "I was meant to bring you your songs to finish, Jamie", he often said throughout the sessions.
Following such a fruitful partnership, KS and producer Jamie Smith are currently already planning the sessions for the follow up record.
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