Solo project skinsewnshut from Southern Alberta released its first EP, …To Quell This Agony, on July 3. Its creator, Grant Matthews, infused the work with downtempo influences and ‘crazy pitch-shifted sounds’ that inspired the EP in the first place.
skinsewnshut is a side project of musician Grant Matthews, who also plays in Abrupt Decay, Killing of a Sacred Deer, and False Body. The artist planned to work on the EP for a few weeks alongside Jordan Chase of Oodelally Studios in West Kelowna, British Columbia. However, due to a personal schedule change, the process was cut to five days of concentrated writing even before going to the studio, with only one song created at Oodelally.
The EP came out on vinyl via Wax Vessel Records, and all copies are now sold out.
“The references for this record for me were Freudian Slip by Villains/Yüth Forever and The Death Card by Sworn In. I had a lot of the same guitar pedals these bands use to achieve the crazy pitch-shifted sounds they get, and I think it came out sounding pretty close to how they did. Drum-wise, I wanted a really pingy snare with toms that sat more in the middle of the mix, and Jordan was able to make it sound exactly like I wanted it,” Grant shares with Musiknights.
Grant’s friend, Owen, also joined the creative process, advising on sound decisions and writing lyrics for “God Alone”. The six-track record also features collaborations with the aforementioned False Body, Abrupt Decay, and ENTWINE.
The record’s title is derived from “Cacoethes”, a song about ending life in a garage.
“I added the ellipses with the intention of making you think about what is happening with the title. What is the agony being referenced? What is actually putting the end to it?? I want people to think about the music prior to even putting it on,” Grant adds.
Busy with other music projects, the musician is set to write and release a new LP by skinsewnshut no earlier than next spring or summer.
skinsewnshut online:
https://www.instagram.com/skinsewnshut
Cover photo — Bandcamp