This limited edition 45 from Portuguese label Extremocidente offers the first new material from Death In June since The Rule of Thirds in 2008. On this pink vinyl 7″, Douglas P continues to adopt a stripped-down approach to arrangement; but the big difference this time is that instead of acoustic guitar, the primary backing instrument – indeed the only backing instrument – is piano, played by Miro Snejdr. In DIJ’s extensive discography, there has never been anything quite like this. Snejdr has a liquid, Romantic style of playing, and his delicate, exquisitely nuanced style perfectly complements Douglas P’s rich baritone voice. ‘Peaceful Snow’, an instant classic, also includes some clever reverbed breath sounds – you can almost picture yourself in an alpine forest in the depths of winter, your breath misting on the air. ‘The Maverick Chamber’ has ghostly moans threaded through it, and it makes an ideal coupling with the A-side. The intriguing new direction and undoubted quality of these new songs leaves one impatient for the forthcoming DIJ longplayer.
Ewan Burke
