Mike Lindsay has been one of the masterminds behind the bands Tunng and LUMP, as well as a producer for Anna B Savage’s last album, but is now stepping out solo for the first time. He is planning to release a series of records called supershapes, which explore “the miraculous in the mundane”.
supershapes vol 1 arrives on 14 June through Moshi Moshi and will investigate “everyday domestic objects, especially tables, coffee table books, and the daily rituals that shape us, heavily focusing on the majestic in the domestic”.
The first single to be shared, “lie down”, features Anna B Savage. Lindsay says:
“The song itself is loosely based on reverse FOMO, when you’re out every night but yearning for domestic bliss, with all the menial tasks like taking out the rubbish and watching guilty pleasure telly. There is an unsettling, never-ending cycle of sevens on this track, you never quite get to relax. Though you’re woozy from the bendy bass, wobble chords and lullaby woodwind, you’re snapped out of it by fast scattered table percussion and wonk sax. The words Lie down Lie down Lie down… Are all recorded on my phone from members of my entire family at Christmas.”
Lindsay has populated “lie down” with homely knocks and rustles, immediately creating a domestic atmosphere. This is a slightly wonky vision though, with many layers of instrumentation and vocals coming from all sides – it’s like being in your living room but suddenly it’s as if the floor has become the wall, the coffee table is on the ceiling and someone is calling you from a basement you didn’t know you had. As Savage’s rich vocal threads its way through these elements, you find yourself imagining that you’re boiling the kettle and taking out the rubbish, stepping carefully, until you finally, suddenly hit the sofa and do what the voices beseech you to do: “lie down”.
Listen to “lie down” below or find it on your preferred streamer.
supershapes vol 1 arrives on 14 June via Moshi Moshi (pre-order). You can find Mike Lindsay on Instagram.
