Warm Digits – Better Friction (ft. Mia La Metta)

“Our experience of the world and our states of mind are shaped and thrilled by unimaginably exciting leaps in technology”, say Newcastle electronic duo Warm Digits, “and yet that world will only last for a few moments as we fail to find a way to act collectively on rising temperatures, the failures of democracy and the unstoppable hunger for exploitation of the ground under our feet”. And so, their new album ‘Wireless World’, due out on 4th August via Memphis Industries, is their attempt to make something that balances on the increasingly unsteady tightrope between celebration and devastation, chaos and stability.

With technology being a small part of the concept behind the band’s new record – as well as their sound overall – it’s little wonder that their latest track centres on how no piece of tech (or power, for that matter) can come without being mythologised in some way. In some ways, ‘Better Friction’ distils their own band legend into just four minutes. It distils all of their best aspects, from twinkling, vintage electronics and a layer of almost industrial fuzz to driving, krautrock riffs and motorik rhythms. With the vocals of Beards’ Mia La Metta also providing vocals and swooning harmonies that rest somewhere between conversational and deliciously poppy, it becomes even more of an urgent powerhouse.

With a newly-announced run of solo shows and festival slots now in the pipeline, you can probably expect ‘Better Friction’ to be a firm, soaring highlight of their upcoming sets.