SMALL TOWN BOREDOM
Small Town Boredom were Fraser McGowan and Colin Morrison.
Characterised by their pared-down, minimal compositions, Small Town Boredom created beautifully melancholic songs, with whispered, confessional lyrics.
Their seminal debut album of quiet lo-fi torch songs, Autumn Might Have Hope, was released by The Remains Of My Estate in late 2007. The unwavering band and label ethos 'to make something of beauty' meant that the record was released as a limited vinyl LP with download, and was met with warm acclaim despite minimal promotion.
A soundtrack for intense self-reflection, Autumn Might Have Hope forges affecting melodies from delicate instrumentation, subtle field recordings and lo-fi ambient experiments. Songs are achingly paced and underpinned by McGowan's hushed lyrics, sung with uniquely heavy-hearted vocals which were described by one critic as 'exuding a kind of lethargy of broken dreams'.
Their second album, Notes From The Infirmary, was released in 2010 and returns to the fragile arrangements and hushed vocals that made their debut such a vital record. However the sound is more focused, starker, and fraught. Following the warm melancholic haze of ‘Autumn Might Have Hope’, ‘Notes From The Infirmary’ feels immersed in the cold light of a new day, with anguished electric guitars and percussion, and culminating in a fall-out of feedback, screaming vocals, and finally ennui and hopelessness.
There has been just one recording since, the track Polaroids For The Coming Winter which appeared on the compilation ‘Trampoline Presents’.
However Fraser McGowan remains active with the solo project Caught In The Wake Forever, links below.
ARTIST LINKS: theviewfromthebeardmore.tumblr.com