By now we’ve heard all sorts of lockdown projects, but Routine might be one of the most charming yet. Melina Duterte (Jay Som) and Annie Truscott (Chastity Belt) are partners, so they found themselves quarantining together, and naturally they decided to start writing and recording music together as a new group. Routine’s debut EP, And Other Things, will be released on November 20 through Friends Of / Dead Oceans.
Duterte had this to say about their work together: “In Annie’s songs I hear a yearning for something just out of reach, something unachievable. She’s such a great singer, so it felt good to just layer instruments to make her vision for it feel fully fleshed out.”
The first song to be shared is “Cady Road”, where Duterte and Truscott lay out a spangling country-tinged dreampop sound that perfectly matches the story of “walking under the desert sun.” This soon deepens into a reflection on life’s stresses, Truscott’s voice dripping with despondency – it’s not a downer though, as Duterte joins her to harmonise, and rousing violin brings added buoyancy. “Cady Road” sees Truscott’s worries and sonically soothes them with pristine production that handles all that baggage and floats with it into the sunset.
Routine’s And Other Things EP arrives on November 20 through Friends Of / Dead Oceans (pre-order).
You can find Jay Som on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can find Annie Truscott on Instagram.
