Living Body – “I Recollect”

Living Body – “I Recollect”

Humanity is at constant odds with technology and its information overload. As suggested by their name, Leeds-based Living Body attempt to reconcile this relationship in the form of an alternative rock band comprising Chicago native Jeff Smith (Juffage), Sky Larkin’s Katie Harkin (a touring member of Sleater-Kinney and Wild Beasts), and Tom Evans (Vessels) plus touring members Alice Rowan and Sarah Statham.

“I Recollect,” from their forthcoming album Body Is Working, is a straightforward and titillating track with an anodyne melody and delicate bassline. Harkin’s vocals are light and articulate with a sense of jaded urgency: “Do I accept this certain mystery in this world/ Isn’t it good enough?/ Isn’t good to see both sides?” The song fades with a swarm of violins that sail it to a graceful conclusion. Hear it below.

The creation of “I Recollect” was more like a resurrection. Smith dreamt about a forgotten demo of the track, and “I Recollect” exists because he remembered it — get it? He explains:

I feel like the best examples of songwriting seem encapsulate a fleeting moment in time, having sprung immediately out of nowhere, directly from our subconscious. Leonard Cohen famously said, “if I knew where the good songs came from, I’d go there more often.” With “I Recollect,” I completely dreamed about 75% of it. In the dream, I was going through piles of storage with an old housemate I used to be in a band with, and found a CD-R, which in the dream I believed to contain some of our old demos. I put the CD on and “Slowburner” and “I Recollect” came out of the stereo.

In the dream the song had a female vocalist, even though the old band in reference was largely instrumental. Katie and I had been working on other material around the time before the Sonic Cauldron gig, so it seemed perfect to have her sing it.

Living Body have some UK tour dates coming up:

12/08 Sheffield, UK @ Picture House Social
12/09 Liverpool, UK @ Mguire’s Pizza Bar
12/10 London, UK @ The Waiting Room
12/11 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
12/16 Manchester, UK @ The Eagle
12/17 Newcastle, UK @ Jumpin’ Jacks
12/18 Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
12/19 Glasgow, UK @ The Hug And Pint

Body Is Working is out 12/2 via Kingfisher Bluez in North America (pre-order) and Barely Regal in the UK/EU (pre-order).

Living Body

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