Live Review: PREMIERE: Feels forge electronic vibes with percussion to build this epic 'Glasshouse'

Alright kids, prepare to have your socks blown off because FEELS have just dropped this stellar new tune, ‘Glasshouse’, just in time for your weekend.

The Perth based girl-gang is comprised of classically trained percussionists and electronic producers Elise Reitze and Rosie Taylor, who blend live percussion and instrumental performances with harmonious synth arrangements and delicious electronic beats to create their own deliciously quirky sonic style.

Feels signed with Spirit Level earlier this year and made their label debut with recent single ‘Prior Engagement’, which was met with surging praise from national and international audiences. The duo then went on to perform showcases at BIGSOUND before also winning triple j Unearthed’s Listen Out competition to earn a spot on the Perth leg of the festival’s tour.

In this brand new offering, ‘Glasshouse’, opens with a fervent frenzy of tuned percussion and soft piano chords that gradually transition into the foreground. As the piano parts multiply and grow in rhythmic complexities, synthetic beats are introduced and present the first nuances of electronic production into song. This whirlwind of complex rhythms, melodic riffs and instrumental layers become brilliantly juxtaposed by smooth synth textures and minimalistic production, tempering this near overwhelming track into sublime musical morsels.

This latest track shows Feels exude extensive virtuosity as they articulate their own unique musical language, undoubtedly conversant with minimalist style polyrhythms that are often exhibited in contemporary dance music.

Reitze said of the song, “I wrote this one at the piano. I was experimenting with semiquaver patterns and accenting different notes, it started out much slower. Fast patterns with lots of notes give the listener the opportunity to pick out their own melodies within the pattern. I love this effect as a listener myself when I listen to Steve Reich’s Piano Phase. I think I probably wrote this after going surfing. Writing straight after doing something high energy helps me focus on what feels good in a song. If I score a barrel in a surfing session I usually have motivation and energy to write for days.”

Feels are currently preparing for the release of their forthcoming Emerald EP, as well a bunch of upcoming shows and a sneaky trip to Berlin in November to attend Ableton’s annual music and ideas summit, Ableton Loop.

As if they weren’t busy enough, both Elise and Rosie play drums and percussion professionally as part of various ensembles and keep an active role in their community by running a monthly workshop for female and non-binary electronic musicians in Perth called WOMPP (Women of Music Production Perth).

Words by FREYA DINESEN

Image: Zal Kanga-Parabia

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