The Portland husband/wife duo of Mint Julep have been experimenting with dream pop for over a decade now, but their recent output has taken an even more introspective turn toward the intimate vein of bedroom recordings established by projects like Foxes in Fiction and their Orchid Tapes peers. The latest single from Hollie and Keith Kenniff’s newest record, In a Deep and Dreamless Sleep, constructs this dreamy atmosphere with softly plucked acoustic guitar and a basic beat before smearing more layers of instrumentation over the course of the track.
“‘A Rising Sun’ was the first song we wrote from the album (and aptly the first one on the tracklist),” Keith shares. “We wanted to explore a form that was less verse/chorus-based and more like dance music/IDM/ambient in the sense that it was like a building block structure, where a texture is introduced and parts are added gradually as the track moves on.” After Hollie’s voice comes in, tapping snare, dreamy guitar, and ambient synth flourishes take the song to a dreamy finish.
“As we decided to throw out any concept of a chorus,” Keith continues, “we really weren’t aiming at a ‘hook’ of any sort, but wanted instead to create a mood; for the emotionality to rely on an idea that builds slowly and gathers momentum without any detours. The lyrics are thus reflected in this dreamy atmosphere and Hollie’s themes are very poetic and evocative to match the hazy quality of the music.”
Listen to the track below, or stream it here. Sleep arrives March 19 via Western Vinyl.
