Profumo find strength in subtlety on ‘Silly Season Is Over’

Every weekday, DIY’s new music know-it-all Neu brings you one essential new release to get obsessed with. Today’s Neu Pick comes from Profumo.

On 10th November, Newcastle-based five-piece Profumo are set to release their second EP ‘Cosy Catastrophe’, which promises to be filled with what they describe as “capsized yacht-rock”. What exactly is capsized yacht-rock you might ask? Well, it’s their own distinctive brand of guitar-driven pop that also brings in harps, strings and the lush production of the 80s, with piercing insight and wit.

On the latest cut from the collection ahead of its release though, the band turn down the volume levels and get more contemplative. ‘Silly Season Is Over’ finds strength in its own restraint, building on hushed percussive elements and gentle guitar melodies with plucked strings, putting vocalist Jack Bates’ poetic, narratively-driven lyrics at the forefront.

Speaking of the track, the band say: “Silly Season is one of the songs we’re proudest of from ‘Cosy Catastrophe’ as it’s one of the first tracks we’ve put out that only really sounds like us; it’s ended up as some strain of moody Northumbrian exotica which I don’t think people are really bombarded with at the moment”.

The new tune is also accompanied by a new clip, a simply shot loop of an old public information film, displayed on a screen and degrading in quality as the song continues. The band explained the thinking behind the simple yet effective video: “In my head we were paying homage to William Basinski and his Disintegration Loops records by taking this little two second clip on-screen and having it warp and decay throughout the piece; it’s about as arty as we could get with one camcorder and someone’s grandma’s old VCR!”

Profumo will play at The Mining Institute in Newcastle on Saturday 11th November.

Watch the video for ‘Silly Season Is Over’ below.