Whirle’s, ‘Berlin Haircut’ is one of my favourite discoveries whilst writing for this blog, and has provided me with one of those moments in which I am reminded of how much I enjoy finding and writing about music.
‘Berlin Haircut’ is Whirle’s second ever single, following April’s, ‘What She Thinks She Knows’. The former, released June 12th, is a darkly swimming synth-pop song, with elements of jangle-pop, shoegaze, and slowcore – think of the slightly more up-beat moments of Cigarettes After Sex, or the lushious ambience of early Ruby Haunt. Matheus Nascimento’s voice, the man behind the Whirle project, floats above the swell of synths and retro sounding guitars. A white-noise ambience flows in and out of the song, alluding to a sense of place in which it might belong. It is interesting, as it is surprising, as it slightly disorientates the listener, adding a kind of unsettling energy to the dream-pop soundscape.
‘Berlin Haircut’ is no ordinary run-of-the-mill dream-pop song. It’s instrumentation is beckoning to be waded through, and Nascimento’s voice is familiar yet completely unreachable. It’s uncanniness is addictive. If you’re a fan of unusual tales on tried and tested genres, plus the horrifyingly beautiful work of David Lynch, then I think you may find an odd sort of comfort within the world of Whirle.
Written by Callum Foulds