Unravelling. Yellow Belly’s ‘Spiral’
I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for trip-hop. There’s something about the combination of inoffensive electronic beats, sweeping keyboards and delayed guitars with a gentle vocal that just does it. I could spend whole days listening to Portishead, Massive Attack, The Cardigans’ ‘Gran Turismo’ and the more melancholic works of Garbage. So when I received an email about Yellow Belly’s latest EP ‘Spiral’, I couldn’t let it go unanswered.
Yellow Belly is the name given to the musical project by musician Dominique Finnegan. For the Spiral EP, Yellow Belly collaborated with Rob Bryant who primarily assisted with production, mixing and mastering but also added some instrumentation. Yellow Belly is no stranger to collaboration, with her working with K37 on a 2017 single entitled ‘I Won’t Be Her’ and with David Vázquez on the track ‘Coming Home’ later that year. Early in 2018, the pair released their ‘Overthought’ EP, featuring three more tracks. It’s worth mentioning that the duo played the Aquarium Finisterrae in Spain in 2018, how often do you hear about someone playing a gig in an aquarium? However I must insist that the band remained dry for the proceedings, as much as I’d love to see an actual submerged gig.
But Yellow Belly has also put out solo works beginning with ‘Are You Ready To Be Happy Yet?’, an EP released in April 2019. The title track received an animated video as well as ‘Condition White’, which would later receive a standalone remix. On the subject of remixes, Yellow Belly has put out a collection entitled ‘Remixes Vol. 1’, combining tracks from both her first EP, and her second in ‘Behind Schedule’.
Most recently, a track from Behind Schedule called ‘On & Off’ has been included on the ‘Heroes Of HiFi’ vinyl compilation from Hippie Drive Records under the ‘Heroes Of Electronica’ category. In December 2020, Yellow Belly released the first single from Spiral called ‘Urgency’, with the full EP following in late January.
The sounds on Spiral begin with ‘Primero Yo’. Google Translate tells me this means ‘first I’ll-’, perhaps the context is wrong as there are several variations of this, but that’s the general gist of it. Primero Yo has the distinction of being played by BBC Introducing Hereford and Worcester, not the only time Yellow Belly has featured on a BBC station.
Most of the instruments on Primero Yo are handled by Yellow Belly, with Rob Bryant contributing to the arrangement and adding some synth textures. A delayed breath tumbles around a modular synthesizer sound while picked bass guitar plays short refrains followed by regular intermissions. Yellow Belly’s voice is delicate, and largely imparts a closeness sprinkled with occasional reverb. There’s guitar here too, but is further back in the mix where the beat is more noticeable, a crisp bass drum that serves as more of a grounding element in Primero Yo. I would love to see a music video for this song.
‘ExCode’ is a more atmospheric affair, with breathy vocal layers that conjure up more of an image than all the rest of the track combined. Picked acoustic guitar is welcome here with reverb that pulls the note out, sustaining like it’s in an underground lake, and some slide is played by Bryant as well as more synths. ExCode has been played on two BBC Introducing programmes at the Shropshire and Hereford and Worcester stations. There’s a part of me that wishes ExCode would go on longer, stretching that bubbling beat out a couple of minutes extra and exploring more of the guitar sounds.
‘Urgency’ is the EP’s first single, and also the shortest song on Spiral. The trebly opening beat reminds me of drum programming from the early 1990’s. You realise why it’s so trebly once the secondary beat and bass tones come in, then it all falls into place and the sound is unified again. Yellow Belly adds backing vocals to great effect during the chorus. I love the final chord fading out, but again I wish this track would’ve gone on longer. Rob Bryant is at his most laid back on Urgency, contributing just to production, mixing and mastering. It must be said that all of the mixes on Spiral are perfect, I wouldn’t want to change a thing.
Urgency is still Yellow Belly’s latest music video, which centres on actor Gabrielle Finnegan, with all the post-production and visual effects handled by Dominique. In these isolated times, staring at a stranger’s face for almost three minutes feels incredibly intimate and invasive, especially as their face is digitally aged upwards. For a moment I thought my eyes were lying to me, so don’t be alarmed – you aren’t crazy.
As soon as the programmed keyboard part for ‘AFR’ starts, you know this is going to be a more upbeat track. Small flashes of synth flutter in and out with Yellow Belly’s vocal, and is that a male voice? It isn’t listed as Rob Bryant’s voice, but it sounds more natural than a digital manipulation. With software being so good these days, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the real from the electronically conjured.
There’s a rhythmic addition here that sounds more like something being scraped than a traditional beat, like the percussive sounds of an acoustic guitar, but less natural. Imagine in editing software, you take a beat you’ve made, and just trim the very beginning and ending of each note, leaving just the middle. That’s how it sounds. Of course there is also a traditional drum sound, almost like a real kit being played with beaters than sticks. I am none the wiser of what ‘AFR’ stands for, and even more foolishly, I have neglected to ask in my Q&A. So stick around to not hear the exclusive of what this track is about.
‘I first met Gus Ring after purchasing his fantastic debut album Boredomtapes. I was blown away by the intricacies of this album and it still remains one of my favourites to this day. Gus is a huge part of the Yellow Belly story as it was his music that actually inspired me to start writing my own with this project to begin with. He made me realise the importance of indie musicians and how hard work pays off. I asked Gus to be a part of this album because his music means so much to me and my story.’ – Yellow Belly (Instagram, February 19th 2021)
‘Hiatus’ is the final track on Spiral, and artist Gus Ring contributes more than just vocals. He also plays guitars and synthesizers and adds his skills to the arrangement of the song. Beginning straight away with guitar and hollow reverberations, Yellow Belly’s trademark breathy vocal blends well with Gus Ring’s deeper delivery. A pulsing bass drum keeps time before extra percussion is added, the heaving background echoes continue throughout like a rhythmic instrument in its own right. The more clear-cut electric guitar is a welcome addition, the clean tone soundtracking the call and response between Yellow Belly and Gus Ring’s lines ‘It’s in your eyes’. That final section is a haunting way to end the Spiral EP and it’s well worth the wait.
As well as not hearing what ‘AFR’ means, stick around for my Q&A with Yellow Belly as we discuss her collaborations with Rob Bryant and Gus Ring, the making of Spiral and the Urgency video, and her rendering of the cover-art. All this and more below!
1. Your latest EP 'Spiral' is a collaborative effort with Rob Bryant, how did you meet Rob originally and how did he become involved in this EP?
I found Rob’s solo project Bare Island a while back and instantly fell in love with his sound. After I released the Remixes Vol.1 album, Rob sent me an email asking if I ever made another could he work on it. I was very flattered and then he presented a fantastic Condition White remix which we decided to release as a single. After the success of it, I asked him if he’d like to work with me on my newest album and he said he would love to. Rob is an insanely talented producer and I felt he really understood my vision.
2. Your last EP 'Behind Schedule' was conceived entirely solo, what made you want 'Spiral' to be a collaborative work?
I was beginning to crave the creative input of another person as it can get kind of restrictive working alone and Rob was the perfect fit because our styles just matched harmoniously.
3. Sometimes people don't like to talk about the lyrics they write, but it's worth a shot. What were the inspirations for the lyrics on 'Spiral'?
In my previous albums, I have fell into a pattern of sugarcoating what I really mean or think lyrically. I usually write in a way that makes the listener interpret what they want to from a song but I think this album is the first time I haven’t written in any code or elusive way. Everything is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. The lyrics mainly focus on the feelings of hopelessness and being trapped in a downward spiral of my own making.
4. The textures on these tracks are so dreamy, what were the synths and guitars you used on these recordings?
I used a Korg Minilogue for the synths and a Fender Jaguar Thinline with some Boss Reverb and Delay pedals to create the guitar sounds.
5. You've said before that Gus Ring is a real important part of the Yellow Belly story! How did he react when you asked him to be a part of 'Hiatus'?
I have been such a huge fan of Gus’s music for a long time now so when I decided the track needed male vocals, he was the first person who came to mind. He was amazing and very happy to be a part of it!
6. The visualiser for 'Urgency' feels very intimate, it's not often I'd look at someone's face for so long. Why did you choose this idea for the video? Were there other ideas you eventually decided against using?
When writing Urgency, I was exploring the themes around limitations and our obsession with time and ageing. I’m actually happy you used the word intimate because I wanted it to be confronting but at the same time almost calming to see that the ageing process is not something to be feared but instead, embraced. I didn’t have any other ideas and I actually think this one magically fit the song quite effortlessly.
7. The artwork for 'Spiral' is incredibly cool. Is that a physical piece of art, or was it rendered digitally? Tell me about your process.
Thank you so much! It was rendered digitally, I just took a photo of my face and started hacking away on Photoshop Haha!
8. There's also a different version of the 'Spiral' artwork on your Instagram - what made you elect to use the one you chose for the cover-art in the end?
I played around with a lot of ideas for the album artwork but I didn’t want it to be too literal. The initial concept was a sketch of my face as a spiral but I wanted to challenge myself to digitally recreate that and make it as realistic as possible.
9. With these new songs out, could fans see a 'Remixes Vol. 2' out in 2021?
I hope so! I would love to work with some more incredible artists and hear what they come up with for these tracks.
10. You played the Aquarium Finisterrae with David Vázquez in 2018, it's not often I get to ask people what it was like to play in an aquarium, so what was that like? How does anyone get a gig like that?
Haha yeah it isn’t the most common of venues! It was such an incredible experience, kind of hypnotising and I think every artist should play an Aquarium at least once!!
11. I love asking people this question: if money and time were no object, what would be the ultimate Yellow Belly live experience? Go crazy.
I would actually love to hold some kind of festival of all of my favourite indie/up-and-coming artists because I just think it would be so awesome to share a stage with them!
12. Tell me about five songs that have meant a lot to you in your life?
Curve - Unreadable Communication: It’s a pretty bold statement to make as both an artist and music appreciator but this is probably my favourite song of all time. This song just blows me away again and again no matter how many times I listen.
Garbage - Sugar: This song holds a special place in my heart because it started a lifelong journey into music for me.
Mazzy Star - Into Dust: This was the first song I ever covered and recorded when I was at school so It is pretty significant to me in terms of self belief.
PJ Harvey - As Close As This: I just adore PJ Harvey and this song sounds like falling in love.
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony: Urban Hymns was the first CD I ever owned as a kid and the first time I’d ever taken an interest in music.
13. And what music have you been listening to in 2021?
Heligoland -This Quiet Fire
Rhye- Home
Aurora- For the Humans Who Take Long Walks in the Forest
14. Finally, have you created anything new in the months since you released 'Spiral'? Can you give us any working titles?
I am working on a few collaboration projects completely separate to the Yellow Belly stuff. One is with Em Baker of Plike. We are hoping for a release sometime this year!
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To purchase copies of Yellow Belly’s music in your choice of digital format, visit her Bandcamp page here.
To buy a copy of the ‘Heroes Of HiFi’ compilation on vinyl, visit the Hippie Drive Records store.
Follow the adventures of Yellow Belly @yellowbellymus on Facebook and Twitter, and on Instagram @yllwbllymusic.
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