Gordian Stimm

(Photo courtesy of the artist)

LABEL

Stripped of the sarcastic, incisory lyricism that defined Gordian Stimm’s debut album “Your Body In On Itself” (one of the best albums of 2020 according to Popotica & Get In Her Ears), the new instrumental EP “Flirty Lucre for Public Sector” finds new ways to fully expose the intimacy and intricacy of the Gordian Stimm project, running the gauntlet from mastermind Maeve Westall’s signature creeping-insect sound design - all dismembered samples and synthetic noise - through "Am Fizzed"'s distorted club workout, the taunting, almost combative audio collage of “Running Things”, all the way to the breathtaking piano solo of “Dance Studio” that closes the EP with the sound of fingers brushing keys, gently hammering the same dying notes over and over, air catching in the throat. “Flirty Lucre...” captures a new-found meditative quality in Gordian Stimm's music but never sacrifices the exhilaration, suspense and surprise that have underpinned their previous releases. It’s a remarkable piece of work, all the more so for being a self-described “cutting room floor” from the upcoming second Gordian Stimm full-length. To which, we can only say - if these are the offcuts, then that next album is going to be *transcendent*.