Minor Conflict’s ‘Parallels’ EP: Exploring Experimental and Original Soundscapes through Post-Punk and Folk Influences
Minor Conflict, Bristol-based group affiliated with Slow Dance and Mélodies Souterraines, has released Parallels, an EP that combines post-punk with leftfield folk, featuring themes around urban existence, human connection, and environmental issues. Minor Conflict expands upon the sound of their 2023 debut, Bright Lights, Dead City, with a focus on layered instrumental arrangements and lyrical storytelling.
Artist: Minor Conflict
Genres: Experimental Music, Post-punk, Psych-folk
Label: PRAH Recordings
Description: Minor Conflict's Parallels EP combines experimental post-punk and folk, released by Slow Dance and Mélodies Souterraines, exploring urban themes.
The group, consisting of Natalie Whiteland (harp, vocals), Josh Smyth (bass, vocals), and Robbie Warin (trumpet, synths, percussion), employs angular rhythms, call-and-response vocals, and classical instrumentation across the EP’s seven tracks. Lead single “Glue” combines minimalistic bass with harp-driven crescendos, critiquing environmental inaction through lyrics such as, “If the tulips wilt / glue them upright… if the skies melt / fetch tar and feathers.”
“Margate Sands” incorporates found sounds, including radio transmissions from ships, to explore themes of gentrification, environmental degradation, and industrial change. Recorded at PRAH studio in Margate, the song includes a colliery-style brass section layered with harp and bass, capturing the atmosphere of the coastal town while addressing its transformation.
Central to Parallels is the song cycle “Parallels I, II, & III,” inspired by Warin’s experiences with migrants in Bosnia. The piece reflects on the challenges faced by two individuals separated by visa restrictions, using alternating vocal exchanges and instrumental progressions to mirror their emotional struggle. The narrative unfolds through a mix of harp, bass, and percussion, culminating in a crescendo of rhythmic interplay that underscores the uncertainty of their reunion.
Tracklist
1 | Cube
2 | Margate Sands
3 | Parallels I
4 | Parallels II
5 | Parallels III
6 | In The Summer
7 | Glue
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