Tiny Ruins’ Hollie Fullbrook perhaps inadvertently introduced the Auckland-based folk-pop group’s new LP Ceremony as “a real meeting of nature and humanity” when the project was unveiled, tying it to the local historical site Manukau Harbour (affably known as “Old Murky”) which served as an unlikely influence on the new collection of songs. Currently, the site runs the gamut of idyllic natural scenery to climate apocalypse, as less visitor-friendly stretches of the harbor serve as waste-dumping sites.
“Out of Phase,” the final single to be released from Ceremony before the record drops this Friday via Ba Da Bing Records, exemplifies how Fullbrook synthesizes these earthen poles of heaven and manmade hell over Nick Drake–like instrumentals (prominently featuring, in the case of this single, a moody cello played by Fullbrook). “It follows a theme of crossed wires/power outages and turmoil, but is more focused on speaking to a romantic partner than the other songs,” Fullbrook shares. “It’s a ‘major chord’ song that manages to still feel really moody, maybe due to its arrangements and minor chord bridge. I’m happy with how we captured a sort of happy and sad contrast.”
Lines about wandering through hedgerow mazes and seeking out lighthouse signals feel at odds with the sense of ease heard in the vocals and tight instrumentation—much in the same way, I suppose, we’ve learned to adapt to whatever conditions we’re made to live in. Check out the visualizer for the new track below, and pre-order Ceremony before it drops this Friday here.
