desert sand feels warm at night – 新世界の弟子たち [New World Disciples] (2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Gold Transparent w/ Green & Red Smoke "Lava Smoke")

Among the most electrifying voices of the emergent modern electronic music scene is desert sand feels warm at night, the pseudonym of UK musician William Hallworth-Cook. Melding the holistic, layered ambience of slushwave with the melodic worldbuilding of dreampunk, desert sand’s breathtaking work transports listeners to futuristic cities, naturalistic vistas and lonely highways. Needlejuice Records is proud to present his newest album, 新世界の弟子たち [New World Disciples] on all formats including a limited-edition sand-filled vinyl.

Setting desert sand’s most recent work apart from his contemporaries is his entirely original songwriting. Where most build soundscapes out of 80’s pop samples, Hallworth-Cook constructs his own source material from scratch before sampling and recontextualizing it into elegiac cinematic experiences. 新世界の弟子たち is desert sand’s sixth sample-free album.

Befitting the wholly original musical content of the album is desert sand’s most explicit concept yet. 新世界の弟子たち explores spirituality and new age religion as an escape from the dull, bleak and dehumanizing realities of modern civilization. Melancholy expressions of desire and longing are transformed into euphoric movements of eclesiastic triumph and fulfilment, tinged with the knowledge that something greater is waiting out of sight at the end of an unending, arduous journey.

Moody, haunting and yet uplifting, 新世界の弟子たち cements desert sand feels warm at night as a scene-transcending heavyweight of expressionistic soundcraft. It bridges the divide between underground movements such as dreampunk and more mainstream ethereal electronic music, as much Julianna Barwick as 2814. In doing so, it proves that these scenes are not just here to stay, but only beginning to reach their greatest heights.