Eyes of Others, the studio alias of Edinburgh based John Bryden, a self-christened ‘post-pub couldn’t get in the club’ producer, have today announced details of their self-titled debut album, which will be released on Friday 19th May 2023.
Having announced their signing to the label last November with the release of a 10” vinyl-only 6-track EP, Bewitched By The Flames, which sold out immediately through independent shops and mail order, Eyes Of Others have today shared a new track, ‘New Hair New Me’, which is accompanied by a beautiful video shot in Norway in deepest winter.
‘New Hair New Me’ is Caledonian calypso. A slice of sunshine pop music fed through banks of pulsing machines, its untroubled acoustic strum dances like a summer breeze and would sound equally at home next on C86 or in an Optimo Epsacio set.
Eyes of Others on the track:
“New Hair New Me’ is a dog just out the bath, running about the house in a daft ecstasy, rubbing it’s soggy hair against the upholstery with a grin that says ‘play with me’. “
LISTEN TO ‘NEW HAIR NEW ME’ | WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Talking about the video, Eyes of Others added:
“New Hair New Me’ is the first in a trilogy of music videos directed Niall Trask and shot by Rob Jarvis. This shoot was the second coldest of the three and I needed physiotherapy afterwards.A highlight for me was throwing a fairly mild-mannered strop towards the end of the last day on set (somewhere in Norway) after being asked, yet again, to trudge through knee-deep snow and run along various icy roads because the twilight looked especially good. “Who gives a shit about the light.” I said under my breath. Niall asked me if I was alright. Nice touch that I thought. It took me back to a time when I was an extra in a T-Mobile advert where I was told I would be last in the queue for lunch due to (the lowly status of) my role in the production. And look at me now…star of the show, dancing outside a Scandinavian petrol station.”
•••
To try and list all Eyes of Others’ musical touchpoints would be a thankless task but nestled playfully – and seductively – in his sonic palette are an abundance of carefree electronics, hypnotic dub, wry folk rock, twitchy psychedelia and buoyant acid techno. In other words, pure musical freedom. If it wasn’t for the fact that Eyes of Others began as a side hustle, you’d be praising the ambition of such a mesmerising pop art collage. But then maybe such creativity and experimentation is the result of approaching the music in a pressure-free environment. Bryden certainly thinks so.
“It’s almost like when I stopped trying to find success, it kind of…” he hesitates, not wanting to get ahead of himself. “I’m not saying there’s success, the album’s not even out yet, but it’s been a… I think it’s a slow burn. I’m not in a hurry.”
The release of the self-titled Eyes of Others debut album will soon cause Bryden to reassess his evaluation of success. Marrying the anything-goes, freestyle magpie tendencies of Beck and The Beta Band to the electronic stylings of primetime 80s New Order by way of the spacious moods conjured by King Tubby, its whimsical demeanour is the perfect sonic balm to the utter confusion of the outside world. As is that sense of almost Balearic musical freedom. Such a mindset is fundamental to the music according to Bryden.
Coming in at a brisk 41 minutes, the album reveals its manifold charms immediately, but also does so in a meandering, nuanced and irreverent fashion.
READ MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM HERE
Eyes of Others tour dates include Sounds From Other City and Sea Change Festival and a Free Entry gig at The Social, London, W1 this Friday.
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