Exclusive First Listen: ‘Standing Feathers’ LP by Worms’ Cottage

Wild City is absolutely thrilled to host an exclusive first listen of ‘Standing Feathers’ by Worms’ Cottage before its official release tomorrow via Bangalore based record label Consolidate.

We knew the first time we heard Worms’ Cottage that there was something special there and his debut album ‘Tourguide Imposter’ only added to that assertion. Naturally, we had high hopes from Rishabh Iyer’s sophomore album, and ‘Standing Feathers’ more than lives to up to what we expected.

Iyer doesn’t lose the acid-tinted melodies, unconventional structures and unsteady vocals we’ve come to associate him with, though there is a marked sense of refinement in how they’re presented. Worms’ breathy vocal delivery draws you right in (really pleased he didn’t get rid of the vox!) and Iyer’s (more natural) voice is really quite hypnotising on its own without the reedy manipulation we heard in his previous work.

Compared to ‘Tourguide Imposter’, ‘Standing Feathers’ feels a lot more personal and a little bit darker especially towards the end - the ‘night’ album to its evening counterpart. The first half of the album feels like a continuation of what we’ve heard from Rishabh in the past. There’s a wonderful lack of urgency in ‘pleasant swelter’, ‘brown clouds that hold rain’ and, slightly less so in ‘intransient love’ and ‘where I want to be’. The second half is when things get more theatrical – moodier and darker in songs like ‘temple of succubis’ (a personal favourite), the surprisingly assertive, vox-heavy ‘prey predator’ and ‘latana’.

“I initially intended on making an album of mostly simple instrumentals to create a certain ambiance in which one can choose to do other things, but I started obsessing with the feel of it, and ended up adding vocals to most of the tracks. The album's a little more homogeneous than the previous one. I had the idea for this album after listening to Great Dane's 'Alpha Dog' and self titled album. But it turned out nothing like it, other than maybe the first track.” -Rishabh Iyer

Eventually, what keeps bringing us back to the album is just how unaffected, and unpretentious it is. With zero plugs and marketing, no posturing, gimmickry or urgency to cater to any crowd – Iyer’s managed to create one of the most original, well balanced releases we’ve heard all year.

We’re getting our headphones back on and suggest you do too. Listen to ‘Standing Feathers’ below, exclusively on Wild City (for today). Keep an eye on Consolidate’s Facebook page for the official release tomorrow. Follow Worms' Cottage for more.

Words: Diya Gupta