Whelm Douglas Dare

• 1 Clockwork 04:30
• 2 Nile 04:38
• 3 Repeat 04:01
• 4 Caroline 04:49
• 5 Whelm 01:46
• 6 Unrest 03:47
• 7 Lungful 04:00
• 8 Whitewash 04:40
• 9 Swim 04:39
• 10 London's Rose 04:50
• Total Runtime 41:40

Info for Whelm

With the spatial grandeur of his native Atlantic coast and the cinematic minimalism of a classic ECM recording, youthful London piano bard Douglas Dare delivers his striking debut, Whelm.

Growing up in the coastal Dorset town of Bridport, Dare learned to play music from his piano teacher mother while absorbing the pastoral richness of the geography from his farmer father. Fed on classical music, but drawn to artists like Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, and PJ Harvey, he has taken an interesting path with his music, blending a spare avant-garde aesthetic with dark but often melodic songwriting. The sounds he introduced with 2013's four-song EP Seven Hours were thoughtful and patient, taking their time to develop, yet ultimately engaging the listener. Released a mere eight months later, Whelm expands upon his themes of history, nature's severity, love, and loss, all sung in an intimate and richly tuneful voice. The arrangements are complex and smart, but not unapproachable, as his piano is joined by the distinctive abstract percussion parts of producer and collaborator Fabian Prynn.

Occasionally, glitchy electronic elements are introduced, like on the bleak, difficult 'Unrest' and the desperate 'Swim,' though even then, his piano remains focused in the mix. He is at his best on slightly more tuneful ballads like 'Caroline' and the beautiful closer 'London's Rose,' but even the more challenging tracks will reward the patient listener with their clever structure and surprising moments of melodic clarity.

„richly emotive and beguilingly, bewitchingly uneasy.“ (CLASH)

„Bitterly lovelorn and wickedly haunting, Whelm.“ (London in Stereo)

„A haunting, broody piece… Certainly one to keep.“ (BBC 6 Music)

Engineered and produced by Fabian Prynn

Douglas Dare
London-based singer-songwriter and pianist Douglas Dare grew up in the small coastal town of Bridport in South West England.

Encouraged by his mother, a piano teacher, he began composing instrumental music at a young age but didn’t take up songwriting until 2008 while studying music at University in Liverpool. His elegantly moody, piano-based songs and haunting voice drew comparisons to artists such as Thom Yorke and James Blake, and in 2013 attracted the attention of London independent label Erased Tapes, who specialise in avant-garde music.

Following the release of his acclaimed debut album Whelm in 2014, Douglas toured the world, first supporting the likes of Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Fink, and then headlining tours across Europe.

His second album Aforger, set for release on October 14th, was mixed at the iconic Abbey Road Studios and produced by long-time collaborator and Dare’s live drummer, Fabian Prynn. The album, which sets music to Dare’s original poems, is a marked evolution from his debut; not only sonically, with both a brass ensemble and choir featured in a number of songs, but also lyrically he’s head in a more candid and vulnerable direction.

Inspired by recent events and revelations encountered in his life, Aforger questions the boundaries between reality and fiction and Douglas looks forward to integrating these ideas into his visuals and live performance.

This album contains no booklet.