Album of the week: Ships – Precession
Sorca McGrath and Simon Cullen have been making music as Ships for the last five years. As both a creative duo and real-life partners, they have imbued their synth-disco music with genuine exploration of human feeling. The ‘Ships’ in the title also represents some suffixes using the title – ‘relationships’, ‘friendships’, ‘scholarships’. There’s connection at the heart of their creativity.
Prior to 2017, they’ve released songs that have ably glued an emotional heft to their dynamically constructed synth-pop on songs ‘Places’, ‘You’re Gonna Feel It’, ‘Space Inside’.
With Precession, Ships have taken all that guardianship, heart and knowledge and have made one of my favourite albums of the year. Songs for the mind and body. The album is one of the most beautiful and dynamic sounding records you’ll hear this year. Its production is detailed with lots of little sonic treats that easy to pick up on but hard to create.
Ships’ established sound that engulfs synth-pop, disco, cosmic disco and vintage electronica is in its DNA. There’s groove, space, funk and glittering disco balls in its fabric. Whether its the gleaming disco-funk of ‘All Will Be’, the deep peaks of ‘Around This World’ , the booming electro of ‘None Of It Real’ or the hazed ’80s billowing ‘Another Way’, these songs demand rotational spins. Friends Rian Trench (Solar Bears), Ross Turner (I Am The Cosmos) and John Cowhie (Goodtime) help out.
Key to their success are the vocals by McGrath and Cullen, which gild these songs deeper in stature. Cullen glides across the psychedelic space-rock of Tame Impala-esque ‘I Can Never’ and McGrath’s brings a connective touch to the album synth-disco highlight ‘Where We Are’.
Precession is bound to be one of my records of the year. Support the artists.
They’re selling a handmade gatefold vinyl worth your money.
