Two electronicists search for the truth
Who?
Feral Five are electronic pop duo Kat Five (Katharina Tyldesley – vocals, guitar, percussion) and Drew Five (Andy Smith – synths, guitar, beats). They’re based in the south-east of England, and occasionally expand to being a trio when Kat is accompanied by an AI version of herself.
Why Feral Five?
Taking cues from electronica’s long-standing obsession with new technology, Feral Five’s music has always operated with an eye to evolution and transformation. They’ve used 3D printers both as sound sources and as tools to develop artworks and embraced the generative potential of algorithms and coding in their live sets. This approach to technological developments led to the patronage of another futurist, one Martyn Ware, who invited the duo to perform at his ‘Everything You Can Imagine Is Real’ event for the National Portrait Gallery’s ‘Picasso Portraits’ exhibition in 2017.
Tell Us More…
Feral Five released their debut album, ’Truth Is The New Gold’, in February this year. While the album continues their intense explorations of big changes in our world, its 11 songs take a more cautious, sideways view. Framing the album’s defiant title track are concerns about misinformation, while on ‘Roll It With Me’, Kat’s edgy vocal carries a disdain for social media doomscrolling. ‘Silver Sky’ delves into the impact of light pollution on birds, and ‘Skin In The Game’ acts like a punky call to arms against passive attitudes. Hyper-aware, worldly-wise and appropriately cynical, ‘Truth Is The New Gold’ is a vivid document of everyday life in 2023, a future time capsule that will be used to make sense of how everything went wrong, all framed by clever synth work and enveloping vocals.
‘Truth Is The New Gold’ is out on Reckless Yes
