The Swarm is the new project from Deep Throat Choir members Heloise Tunstall-Behrens and Auclair, which is coming out on September 18 and is set to be one of the most all-encompassing experiences of the year. The choral-sound piece finds Tunstall-Behrens arranging voices while Auclair works on sound design, and together across the 40-minute album they tell the tale of a hive of bees searching for their new home.
The pair were inspired to make the project after years of working with bees, with their sound naturally being something of fascination for them: “their collective hum is really special, switching between modes of listening to the group and then to individuals. This got us thinking about different forms of polyphony where individual melodies are layered or intersect to create a sound that is bigger than the sum of its parts.”
With “Dance Off” already released last month, today we have new song and interactive video “Cloud” to explore. Tunstall-Behrens and Auclair say:
“With Cloud, we are at the point in the bee swarm’s journey where they have agreed and decided on where to relocate, and are moving off to their chosen nest site. The bees are led by a small number of scout bees who circle and weave their way around the cloud of bees, helping guide them to move as one. The airy, spacious texture is to convey this airborne journey.”
While “Cloud” is undoubtedly an involving and unique choral piece purely on an audio level, it is taken to even greater depths by the 360° interactive video. Placed at the centre of a circle of female choristers singing “Cloud”, you are able to spin around the space and take in all of their singing faces, as well as the spacious dome above adding oomph to their performance. Being virtually at the centre of this group singing does indeed feel like the equivalent of being in the core of a nest of bees – and it’s an overwhelming and zen-like experience. Enjoy it below.
Heloise Tunstall-Behrens & Auclair’s The Swarm is out on September 18 through Deep Throat Choir’s new label Amorphous Sounds (more info here).
