PRICE:
$25.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Hallway Waverider
FORMAT
LP

LABEL
CATALOG #
MORR 192LP MORR 192LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
11/25/2022

Fourth album by Stockholm based multi-instrumentalist Mikko Singh, aka Haleiwa. Hallway Waverider is Mikko Singh's second album for Morr Music under his Haleiwa moniker. Blending the washed-out aesthetics of dream pop with a lo-fi take on modern psychedelia, it is a fuzzy record in more than one sense. The ten songs see the multi-instrumentalist explore the sonic idiosyncrasies of analog recording equipment while also expressing a self-assured statement by a musician who has carved out a niche for himself and feels perfectly at home in it. After exploring the affordances of vintage equipment for 2019's Cloud Formations album (MORR 167CD/LP), Singh worked with a Tascam 244 4-track cassette recorder and Tascam 388 8-track reel-to-reel recorder to transform the sounds of his vintage synthesizers, bass, the occasional guitar part, and drums supplied by Svante Karlsson for Hallway Waverider. By experimenting extensively with the machines' unique sonic qualities and constantly reworking the pieces in regards to their sound signature over the course of two years, Singh has found the perfect equilibrium of electronic music and lo-fi aesthetics while navigating with ease through styles like driving surf rock, gritty garage punk and ethereal dream pop. On his new record, he seamlessly integrates these influences into anthemic yet soothing songs. The title of the album refers to Singh's halcyon days as a teenager spent listening to punk music and -- in wintertime -- skateboarding in his own bedroom. The lyrics refer to surfing as a nod to both his own experiences with riding the waves and the music genre that has provided him with inspiration throughout his career as a prolific recording artist with three solo albums under his belt. However, surfing primarily serves as a metaphor for something bigger. Hallway Waverider dedicated to Singh's mother who passed away in 2015. "She made it possible for me to have a good childhood and to be able to do what I love," says the artist. This sense of closure and being at peace with himself is also expressed in lyrics like "A sea stroll. Going slower. Feeling featherlight," expressing a calm that perfectly mirrors the music's steady grooves and welcoming overall feeling. Starting with the upbeat "River Park/Sleeping Pill"; to the almost ambient, synthesizer-heavy "A Bottomless Pit"; or short, punk-inspired and bassline-driven outbursts like "Watered Down" or "Halulu Lake"; to the blissful title track that closes the album, Singh opens up a whole panorama of different moods across a broad variety of musical styles. Includes download code; edition of 300.