Mike Gale’s Hey Presto, a lightened long-player that tip-toes between lounge, downtempo, shoegaze, and laid-back soundscapes that are cool to the touch, was released in April 2024.
A symphony of subdued yet captivating sonic miniatures
Mike Gale’s Hey Presto, a lightened long-player that tip-toes between lounge, downtempo, shoegaze, and laid-back soundscapes that are cool to the touch, was released in April 2024. While “The Coast Of Preston” is a wandering beauty, the album’s relaxing electronic textures and tones alternate with translucent voice treatments throughout. From the more synth/techno-infused “Ocean Floor” to the meandering “Unsteady,” instrumental tidbits ebb and flow, evoking earlier Four Tet parallels.
It appears like Mike Gale is putting out a call to the outer edges of our atmosphere on Hey Presto, permitting (live) instruments and sensitive electrical signals to collide midway. “Baltimore And Southampton” is an enveloping, dreamlike, and surreal track featuring static vinyl crackles crumbling beneath ephemeral vocal strands and sharp melodic lines that grow and deteriorate—the track could also be a live audience recording. The closing tune, “Lake Street,” has a brief runtime (as do most of the tracks), and the piano keys serve as a comforting embrace as we say goodbye to the work’s low-flying pop sensibility.
Hey Presto is a soothing collection of bubbling soundscapes and musical psychedelia (“Sunday” and “Pink Ski Jumping Helmet”), allowing listeners to let go of monotonous day-to-day activities and unwind to the artists’ symphony of subdued yet captivating sonic miniatures. Fans of early B. Fleischmann, Plod, Plone, and Broadcast should take notice as the album induces vintage audio visual forays.
Hey Presto is available on Bandcamp.
