Accidental Tones – Purely Accidental EP

Easter Sunday is getting rather noisy over here at Irregular Crates. Introducing Accidental Tones: the Edinburgh-based artist otherwise known as Michael Bryce, who combines tortured soundscapes and elements of noise and audio degradation to create a truly unsettling debut release that offers no hiding places. The EP opens with ‘plasma’, setting the scene with waves of distorted textures, shrill frequencies that verge on uncontrollable, and an underlying sense of discomfort. I appreciate music that can move me, however, I find that music that stirs a sense of dread to be spectacular. Bryce’s debut sits comfortably alongside the likes of Kepier Widow, Yokonono, and Posset; all of whom utilise the darkened qualities of low-fidelity, noise, non-music, and an element of chance within their creations.

The third track on ‘purely accidental’, ‘a trip to the country’ brings forth something I’ve never heard in music before: sheep. Although it may at first teeter on comical, a countryside field recording processed into the realms of the abstract provides somewhat of a unique listening experience. Coupled with the unpredictable and varied synthetic sounds that flutter from side to side, Bryce has captured my interest.

The EP ends in a similar fashion to how it began; ‘purely accidental’ has all of the lo-fi qualities of the opening track without repetition: the sounds of anguish and frustration are brought forward in a noisy haze of ambiguous source materials that grind on the listener with great intensity. The closing track is the stand out of the EP but can only be fully appreciated following on from the previous three. The mastering work of JC Blackley Industries adds the final depth and analogue variation suited for this debut release.

Accidental Tones’ ‘Purely Accidental EP’ can be streamed and purchased as a digital download via the artist’s own Bandcamp page, available on a name-your-price basis.