Watch the video here:
youtu.be/kAdwsjcSRKo
Suddenly is about that split second when life as you knew it is turned upside down. A velvet-gloved shadow creeping through the cracks, making everything seem distorted and unfamiliar. Lyrically and musically, the scene is set with a kind of beauty and perfection, in the way it is sung and the choice of words. Like a siren leading an innocent victim into treacherous waters:
"Follow, follow winding road, and river..
Sweet sounds of the waterfall".
We added more and more tension as the track progresses through ever so slightly detuned synths and strange sounds, until finally at the end the whole thing breaks open and the dark underbelly of the track is revealed: all distorted drums and gnarly synths. Musically it was inspired by the triphop of the 90's and 00s, I've always had a huge appreciation for bands like Zero 7, Massive Attack and Portishead. I wanted to channel that strange combination of chillness, warmth, but also danger. Nothing is quite what it seems, it balances comfort and discomfort perfectly. It's a very exciting area to explore, musically.
As the song describes a kind of perfect landscape, I wanted to make an animation video exploring an old, fantasy-book style map that I illustrated myself. Gradually, the map starts to break apart and parallel universe is revealed beneath the surface, like the upside-down in Stranger Things: a dark, hellish landscape breaking through into reality.