Laundromat, aka Toby Hayes, is completing his triptych of EPs with the release of Red, arriving next month. We’ve already heard the excellent “Flat Planet”, and today he delivers another single from it called “Milky”. He says:
“I was talking with a mate about our battles with mental health. He said ‘it’s nothing new nor something scary anymore, just an old friend we bribe to fuck off every now and then’. It rang true so I stole his words for this song. Not the cheeriest of subject matters, but the struggle is real, and almost everyone knows it.“
Utilising a slovenly guitar that shuffles forward while his dreamy double-tracked voice flutters atop, Laundromat instantly puts us in his gloomy mindset – but he doesn’t let it overtake the song. With a passive approach to depression, he evocatively renders the idea of depression being an unwanted presence that arrives unbidden, quietly requesting “don’t darken my door”. Amidst the lethargic sound, there is a clear desire to fight back, to pull himself out of the gloom, and “Milky” sparkles around the edges with the possibility of happiness within touching distance.
Laundromat’s new EP, Red, is coming out on April 23 via Brace Yourself (pre-order/save). You can find him on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
