Track of the Day: Comrade Hat - 'Deep Sleep'

Northern Irish musician Neil Burns (AKA Comrade Hat) draws upon the familiarity of Americana on his latest track, 'Deep Sleep'. Burns' background in classical composition and jazz adds to a large back catalogue spanning acoustic, electronic and experimental work.

By pushing against genre conventions and crafting a transformative, ethereal realm of its own; 'Deep Sleep' creates a sonic impact with any listener. Subtle cues to the likes of Villagers, Paul Simon, Talk Talk and Elliott Smith’s deconstructed pop permeate the vulnerable track, featuring glistening '80s textures.

The same motifs and themes of 'Deep Sleep' also ripple through Comrade Hat's album Old Gods; nature, personal exploration and life-shaping feelings of otherness.

“It's been haunting me for some time. It felt too raw for most of my other releases, but felt right here”.

The haunting ‘Deep Sleep' is part acoustic confessional and part otherworldly lounge croon, showing the Derry-based songwriter at his most vulnerable and typically self deprecating.

“For long ago / I set my mind on deep sleep / waiting for my divorce from reality to come through”.

Comrade Hat is at his most comfortable when blurring genre lines, blending classical songwriting and unorthodox instrumentation with pop music. Produced by Burns, ‘Deep Sleep’ builds from a stripped back guitar and unseasonably-tropical, drum-machine-based arrangement, gradually expanding with the help of longtime collaborator Rohan Armstrong on bass. It’s the final single from his forthcoming new LP, Old Gods, Vol. 1 - the first of two set for a 2021 release.

"I have always been something of an outsider. I was an only child, a bit of a loner, unsure of myself and my sexuality. I've always been comfortable with solitude. I've never fitted neatly into a scene, musical or otherwise, so I created my own. Music has helped me come to terms with who I am, with life. A navigational tool. A, better, parallel universe of feeling. It's the one place I can fully be myself. I think this is the most honest record I have made."

Burns' debut album Follow the Dawn was released in 2013, followed by 2015's Winter Songs and 2017's Ho Ho Hum EP and Old Amsterdam EP.

Listen to 'Deep Sleep' below: