Arthur Valentine is delighted to announce the release of his latest single, CHOKER, which lands on May 22.
Arthur Valentine, co-founder of Cork’s Hausu collective, expands the dimensions of his “magnificent (and) passionate” (Indie Buddie) sound with CHOKER; stepping away from the “impressively minimalist” (The Irish Times - Nialler9) production seen on debut single Selfish, yet maintaining Arthur’s “undeniable level of smooth” (REMY).
CHOKER is an ambitious bedroom pop track - the whole song written, recorded, produced and mixed in Arthur Valentine’s home studio. Yet despite its humble recording it absorbs influences that range from hip hop artists like BROCKHAMPTON, bedroom-pop artists such as Still Woozy and Roy Blair, to the r&b sounds of Daniel Caesar and early Frank Ocean, to the anthemic pop of Ariana Grande. CHOKER sets a new bar for Arthur Valentine, a first look at his forthcoming project that is undeniably unique in its field both at home and abroad.
The track opens awash in deep autotune vocals and low synth pads that give way to Arthur’s clean sound punctuated by acoustic chords; slowly pulling together elements from these digital and organic sides as the track drifts into a beautiful, multi-layered, slow-burning second half. It’s a bright R&B track taking subtle risks with big payoffs as vocal harmonies and vocal effects take hold but never distract, creating a carefully constructed atmospheric haze that dissipates into air as it ends.
The shift to a more dynamic sound owes a lot to long-time Hausu collaborators-turned-housemates Jack Corrigan (Actualacid) and Drew Linehan (Automatic Blue). Since moving in together, the three have spent countless hours in their home studio trading ideas and blending influences in order to craft a sound specific to the Arthur Valentine project.
Despite relative newcomer status, Arthur has already clocked up a lot of ‘gig-miles’ on the Irish circuit including headline slots at the Button Factory’s Crowbar, Cork’s Cyprus Avenue, Bodytonic’s Pot Duggans and a sold out Ruby Sessions show. In addition to this, he has performed numerous times in Cork’s Plugd (The Roundy) and Coughlan’s, as well as an additional performance in Cyprus Avenue supporting Sorcha Richardson.
Track written, recorded, produced and mixed by Arthur Valentine and mastered by Adam Haggar at Mount Olympia Mastering (Childish Gambino, Migos).
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/804164740%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-ocVDOKoAFlk&color=%237c7c7c&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true"></iframe>Hausu on Social Media:
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