Guest Singer release new single ‘ Divine Psychic Hotline ’ on January 25th
“off-kilter and intelligent introspection” The Line of Best Fit
“a dreamy escape” DIY Magazine
“off-piste pop for the after-party crew” CLASH
“eminently catchy” DORK Magazine
Doncaster duo Guest Singer release new single ‘Divine Psychic Hotline’ through MNRK MUSIC GROUP on January 25th.
Made up of Jake Cope and France Lahmar, Guest Singer compose dark party songs; anti-motivational anthems for the post-truth generation. A Lynch-esque murkiness inhabits their world. They dexterously peel back the façade of the everyday to reveal the eerie in the intimately familiar. Taut pop hooks, glitchy bass lines, new wave guitar stabs and electronic dance are soaked in the combustible elegance of Cope’s delivery.
Latest single ‘Divine Psychic Hotline’ follows on in this mission – bouncy 80s tinged synths strive to bring bright primary colours to the palette, but are fought all the way by the off-beat darkness of the lyrical explorations. In this they fall in-line with retro-modern contemporaries like Nation of Language, W.H Lung and Working Men’s Club – following in the lineage of LCD Soundsystem and Animal Collective’s art-rock sensibilities.
The track was inspired by the eerie experience of watching mediums stream on Facebook live. The surreal nature of this combined with the bizzaro-banality of the comments section and its dwellers feeds into the track’s thematic intersection of spirituality, technology and commerce. As Cope explains:
“Divine Psychic Hotline started out as a tongue and cheek dig at the whole psychic enterprise but once it had been recorded and lived with a little bit. It dawned on me that the similarities between that job and it’s role and any other creative job are there. What people are wanting, what people are getting and how people feel from accessing a song, a painting, a book, a psychic reading etc. Also everyone’s got to eat.”
Having shaped ideas and dug the foundations of songs in social isolation, Jake Cope, France Lamar and producer Matt Peel take the raw materials to the studio with one intent: “The objective was to try and cement the notion of the sad banger.”
Guest Singer collaborated with Beth Rowland to create the music video. Surreal in its presentation, the video features 2 characters who partake in a ritualistic experience: balaclava man representing the judgemental/participating voyeur and the stage performer ‘the seller’. The line blurs between the performance and the life of the performer, and which one the voyeur is interested in.
The duo’s enigmatic nature is intentional, without being severe. As they explain:
“It’s always been a fun idea to be able to offer a bit of mystery to how we present ourselves. Expectations from the name, on how we sound etc. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to make the intrigued work a little. When they realise what it is, then comes the surprise or the disappointment. Both is welcome. As is life really. “
Two previous EPs – 2019s ‘I’m Irrelevant Now’ and 2020s ‘Limbo Days’ – won fans at, The BBC, DIY, Loud & Quiet, Dork, Clash, The Line of Best Fit, Fred Perry, David Dean Burkhart and Amazing Radio. A mainstay of BBC Introducing in the north, Guest Singer have recorded sessions and played festival stages for the corporation.
‘Divine Psychic Hotline’, the new single from Guest Singer, is out January 25th
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