‘Calypso’is the most understated cut from the record so far. Dreamy guitars underpin vocalist Leona Farugia -who barely raises her voice above a whisper. Resonating sax lines add to the oneiric atmosphere, before cymbals crash into life during the latter half -still only ever heard at a distance, so the effect is psychedelic and symphonic, rather than caustic.

The subtleties in ‘Calypso’are born of creative origins, and reverence to the band’s Mediterranean island roots, as guitarist Janelle Borg explains: “I personally love listening to folk music from around the world and really admire bands like Altin Gun, Crimi, and Etnika who are bringing Mediterranean sounds to the foreground. So this song started out when I was noodling around on the guitar after listening to Maltese folk music -particularly għana-and thinking about how I can give my own “contemporary take” on that before I brought it to the band.”

And speaking on the lyrical themes, vocalist Leona details the influence that counter-cultural Maltese figure Mario Azzopardihad on the song: “When I was in high school our Maltese literature teacher introduced us to the playwright and author Mario Azzopardi. I had the pleasure to interview him for a project that I was working on back home and he also gave me an unpublished poem to keep! Since then Azzopardi changed my world completely and Calypso is a homage to this sublime author whom I looked up to all my life. Although it is written in English, I feel like his spirit can still be felt throughout the narration.“

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Built around a swampy groove, ‘Days And Nights’ rolls heavily forwards in its assuredness. Vocalist Leona Farrugia’s vocals oscillate between semi-spoken commands in the verses, never breaking eye-contact and untethered, vibrato howls during the choruses.

‘Days and Nights’ offers a sense of the inherent juxtaposition that life offers, the lightness of experience often leading us in deeper rumination about our position in the world. It’s an ongoing process, a floored quest for completion as the sun continues to rise and fall.

Vocalist Farrugia adds: “This rumination is close to heart, almost comic at times. The parachute of experiences can leave you numb and unsettled, I often feel that one can never be fully equipped to what life has in store”.

It comes with a visually arresting music video directed by Charles Gallwho worked with Sports Team and English Teacher, amongst others.

Along with the album announcement comes the launch of an interactive online visual space unum 3D which the band describe as:“a spatial concept designed to present some of the facets of the mundane. This representation on a computer screen slowly presents us with unexpected turns and surprising tricks that makes some of it not so mundane. As a companion to the album, the house exists to engage with the lyrical themes in a dimension outside of, but in tandem to, what the music offers.”

unum:

1. rohmeresse
2. days and nights
3. a Muse (in limbo)
4. heloise
5. calypso
6. le saut du pigeon
7. a reprise (that girl)
8. apparition no.7
9. wild west
10. the sister of
11. the merchant of

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Steering clear of simplistic, surface-value interpretation, the track’s mechanical propulsion mirrors the repetitive quest of technological gratification. Vocalist Leona Farrugia’s noir-tinged vocal speaks of the everyday digestion of a barrage of information, whereby an individual is coerced into a constant act of self-measurement and comparison.

The metaphorical act of ‘feeding’ on these outwardly projected displays of ego, subtly leads the track toward the grotesque, not too dissimilar from Hitchcock’s creeping, voyeuristic cameras. The track features backing vocals from John Newton from cult South London noise-rock duo JOHN.

Leona hones in on the personal relevance of the themes:“Naturally I’ve always felt like there’s a pressure to compare myself, be that through the lens of present technologies or within the creative industry. It’s something that can be very debilitating, especially to young people in a patriarchal society.”

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On the song, vocalist Leona Farrugia said, “I’ve often felt a pressure running through everyday life: a pressure to be productive whilst being true to oneself. Modern life can be very dissociative and small tasks become a real burden to uphold. I wanted to capture these thoughts through the track, whereby these emotions gradually build to a point of ecstasy.”

The track’s title nods to French new wave director Éric Rohmer, who’s characters often struggle through the morals and desires of quotidian life. The recurring gang vocal similarly echos the constant negotiation of the everyday: “I wanna stay in all day, I wanna sleep in all day”. Mundane distractions such ‘peeling potatoes’ become somewhat significant, and perhaps sinister reminders of a time slipping by.

ĠENN have also been announced to support the infamous Pussy Riot on their UK tour from the end of the month, until their own headline dates in Bristol, London, and Brighton.

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